


Herald of the New Dawn

by DragonTamerOne



Series: Blue's Halo Character Insert [2]
Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Canon Era, Canon Universe, Fledging Government, Gen, High Charity Survived, High Charity builds a theater, Post-Schism, Sangheili Culture, Sanghelios, Sarcastic Humor, Shadow of Intent, Welcome to the slowest burn of all time, based on the books, pre-Halo 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 83,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22685809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonTamerOne/pseuds/DragonTamerOne
Summary: Blue had managed to save High Charity from the Flood, from the Jiralhanae, and from the dastardly Truth. But after the events of Halo 3, the station remains in chaos from internal unrest, and many remnant factions continue to bay for blood. The Master Chief has been presumed dead, as has Blue's long-time robotic companion, the black tiger BTS. High Charity, now her empire, is walking a thin line between survival and collapse. And to make it worse, the head of ONI, Margaret Parangosky, is actively working to dismantle her and the Arbiter's stability. If Blue cannot figure out a way to stop Kilo-Five, they may be the destruction of what she has worked so hard to protect. This work is a sequel to my work, Ascendant.
Relationships: Original Female Characters & Original Sangheili Characters, Original Female Characters & The Arbiter, Original Female Characters vs Kilo-Five
Series: Blue's Halo Character Insert [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590928
Kudos: 3





	1. Preamble

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! Welcome to my sequel. Just like the first part, I wrote this one roughly four years ago. While the first part followed closely the storyline of Halo 2 and Halo 3, this one takes place between 3 and 4, during the time in which the Master Chief was missing. It deviates farther from established canon and takes a respectable liberty in developing original additions to the universe, with a focus on developing the culture and customs of High Charity and the Sangheili. As always, constructive feedback is welcome and encouraged!

Preamble

Hello, hopefully again. If this is the first fic in the series you’re reading, you’re reading it out of order. I would highly suggest going back and reading part 1, but if you don’t want to, heck, power to you. In that case, let me provide my brief introduction:

My name is Blue.  
I am the product of centuries of research, technology, genetic engineering, and one unforeseen and unrepeatable accident, blah blah blah scientific theories it’s not magic blah blah blah.

I have the ability to manipulate the universe’s many forms of energy at will. We creatures are referred to as energized. I am unusually powerful, thanks to the fact that I lack an organic, as in flesh-and-blood, body. I burnt that body up when I tried to channel the Sun’s energy through myself. Turns out, being made of pure energy inside a suit of futuristic, dragon-themed space armor is a pretty good deal. Without a physical body, my energetic abilities increased tenfold, and thanks to the miracles of energetic engineering, I retained all my senses and physical presence. And if I needed something else, I could build it into myself.

So, anyways, that’s who I am. Oh, I have to mention that I travel with two companions. One is my starship, Aethon, a fully-sentient AI inhabiting a highly-advanced, FTL-capable, space-and-atmosphere-faring vessel. The other is - okay, maybe potty-mouthed dunderhead was a bit of a strong term - an oversized, black robotic tiger named BTS. No, he doesn’t listen to KPOP, and neither do I. It’s an acronym. It usually doesn’t stand for anything.

If you’re skipping the first part of this series, head to the next chapter to read a short synopsis of what happened in part 1. If you want to read the first part, TURN BACK NOW. Next chapter is basically all spoilers. Enjoy!


	2. Recap of Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short recap of the first part of this series, in case people are reading these far apart (not that I expect that, really, seeing how I'm posting them right after each other). Or if people are being ambitious and reading just this part and skipping the first one. Which is totally fine.

So, what happened in the first part, Ascendant?

A Covenant recon ship mastered by the Sangheili Roc 'Ayanamee discovered a mysterious white ship that had only two passengers; a large, black robotic tiger and a silver-armored individual that roughly represented a bipedal, robotic dragon. The pair, along with their sentient ship, claim to be from a past space empire that was chased out of the galaxy by the Forerunners. They claim to have been in stasis for a very long time.  
The draconic is named Blue, and is a strange amalgamation of organic consciousness, robotics and machinery, and powerful energy. She claims to have achieved her strange, almost magical powers through something called Ascension, which she preaches as similar to the Covenant's Great Journey. Her tiger companion, a walking bastion of weapons and inappropriate comments, goes by the unexplained acronym 'BTS'.  
Blue discovered the truth about the Halos through the Monitor, 343 Guilty Spark. She divulged the truth to 'Ayanamee and together they hatched a plan to prevent the Covenant from wiping out all sentient life in the galaxy. Along the way, Blue recruited the help of the outcast, Sesa 'Refumee.   
Blue and her band managed to prevent the Jiralhanae from taking over High Charity during the Schism. As well, the draconic, by a stroke of extreme bravery and luck, managed to protect High Charity from the Flood-infested In Amber Clad, saving the station from destruction. The station is now firmly under her control, but not before a series of upheavals and an attempted coup greatly reduced its leading population.  
Through a shaky alliance with the humans, the High Prophet of Truth was foiled on the Ark and killed by the Arbiter. Sergeant Major Avery Johnson survived the encounter, as did 343 Guilty Spark. The Monitor parted from the group to try and protect the nascent Installation 04 from bomb traps set by Truth's loyals.  
On return from the Ark, the ship on which Blue, the Chief, the Arbiter, and BTS was sliced in half by an unstable slipspace portal. The rear half, which contained BTS and the Chief, was lost. Contact with BTS has been cut off, and the Chief has been presumed dead by the UNSC. Blue clings to the hope she may see her companion again.


	3. 2.1: The Noble Nation

2.1: The Noble Nation

“Reattachment has been successful.”  
Blue crossed her arms, looking in admiration at the gleaming structure of the Forerunner Dreadnought, safely reestablished in its rightful place as the generator and centerpiece of High Charity. Shipmaster Roc ‘Ayanam stood with her, his flight crew gathered behind them.  
“I have to congratulate you all,” Blue said to the gathered crowd. “You have provided us with a service unrepayable by retrieving this ship safely.”  
“We are humbled to serve under you, Ascendant,” ‘Ayanam replied, inclining his head.  
“A promotion is in order, for all of you,” she continued. “You have done well to deserve it. If you are willing, there is a CCS-class battlecruiser in the docks that currently has no flight crew. I am willing to sign her to your command, and have you transfer all of your crew to join with hers.”  
“We would be honored to take command of that vessel,” ‘Ayanam replied, eyes gleaming. “We will serve with renewed diligence and vigor at her prow.”  
“Consider it a deal, then,” Blue replied with a nod. “You are dismissed.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“It pains me to think of the betrayal of our brothers, of this fragile, newborn state,” High Councilor ‘Mahom was speaking to the remnants of the High Council. “To think that some could put aside their loyalty for such trivial means. Yes, we have fought and lost, and made enemies, but now is not the time for belligerence. Now is the time to rebuild and restore our former glory.”  
Blue was sitting with her arms crossed, eyes slitted. Every time her gaze fell upon someone, they shifted uncomfortably.  
 _She has changed. She has changed since she returned from the Ark. A new aura surrounds her, one we did not fully see before. She holds herself with fearless purpose._  
“As the Ascendant has asked, none of your requests to step down, even to leave this state permanently, will be revoked,” ‘Mahom continued. “But, as your fellow Councilor and brother of blood, I beseech you to reconsider your wish to leave. We must stand together in these dark times.” He inclined his head. “Thank you.”  
The Council was dissolving. As much as ‘Mahom had tried to hold it together in the aftermath of the betrayal by the conservative Councilors, the faction had already shook itself apart.  
“I am sorrowed to see once a great empire come to this,” the Councilor of Unity leaned over and said to Blue, quietly. “But an empire ruled by lies cannot last forever, so end it must.”  
Uncomfortable chills ran down her spine. “With your help, it may not have to be,” she replied, just as quiet. “The San’Shyuum will listen to you. If you will convince them that I can protect them, convince them to stay, then all will not be lost. The Sangheili can take civic positions, but are bored by them, and I would rather run a government where the people can stay on task.”  
Unity nodded. “I will see what I can do.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Still no sign of him,” Aethon said to the draconic mournfully. “But, thankfully, Ambassador Wukong has not tried to contact us either.”  
Blue sighed, head sinking into her hands. “I just…I can’t accept that he’s gone, Aethon. I just can’t. BTS wouldn’t let himself go out like that.”  
“Well, it’s not like he had the choice,” the ship reasoned sadly. “He was doing what needed to be done to keep the ship together and get us home. None of us expected the slipspace portal to destabilize because of the Ark’s explosions. And if he had thought of it, I’m sure he was willing to take what the world threw at him.”  
“He can’t be gone,” the draconic repeated desperately. “We’ve been through this whole, terrible deal together. He’s been with me every step of the way. How are we going to move forward without him?”  
“Like we always do,” the ship replied. “I miss him too, Blue, dearly. Even if we did fight and squabble sometimes, and even if his sense of humor was rude and often inappropriate. He wouldn’t want us to sit around and mourn him.”  
“You’re right,” Blue murmured heavily. “He would want us to fight like hell to uphold what he left behind. But I’m not giving up.” She lifted her head, eyes glowing angrily. “I’m going to keep listening for him. I’m not going to give up hope.”  
“What about these people?” Aethon asked fearfully. “They’re all looking to you now, Blue. You’re their beacon. With the Prophets gone, and the Halos revealed, you are their only source of spiritual energy.”  
“And yet it’s just another lie,” the draconic muttered bitterly.   
“But not all of it,” the ship said gently. “Yeah, we aren’t from a hundred thousand years ago, and the Lupa aren’t actually extinct. But you’re still everything you said you were.”  
Blue shut her eyes. “I am the Ascendant.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The outlook is not good, but also not the worst,” the Councilor of Unity told Blue. “The San’Shyuum High Councilors, the few who remain alive, all have filed to step down. However, they are willing to take up lesser positions, once you have explained to them how they will be protected. A good portion of the Sangheili High Councilors wish to be reassigned as well. More are leaving, though.”  
“I am hopeful they will fly to the Arbiter,” Blue wished solemnly. “Many have gathered to him, and he remains our ally.”  
“The future is dark and stormy,” Unity declared, “but there are lights to lead us, if we are smart enough to follow them.”  
Blue liked Unity. His thoughts were only to the city and its people - he was unwaveringly loyal to both. Before his promotion to the short-lived Five, he had been an influential and well-spoken Councilor, with friends among many. He had been among the San’Shyuum who had not agreed with the Hierarch’s declaration of war against the Sangheili and ardently stuck with that decision now. Blue’s telepathy could confirm it.  
“Call the San’Shyuum to me,” the draconic ordered. “Then, call all the Councilors, shipmasters, and other Sangheili of notable rank to gather. I will speak to them on the workings of our new government.”  
Unity nodded his head. “It shall be done, Ascendant.”  
She would speak with the San’Shyuum; she already had a working protection system in place for the very few Jiralhanae on High Charity that she would put them under as well. All three of the Jiralhanae who’d returned with her from the Ark had decided to stay with her, knowing their own packs would never accept them back.   
A handful of others from the battlecruiser she’d captured had also managed to survive when the Sangheili came and took the ship back with them. How, she wasn’t quite sure; for certain, the first and most crowded brig had been mowed down, containing the majority of the dissenters, but the population of the second brig had survived. It had contained those who’d surrendered to her in order to escape death. They’d been brigged since they hadn’t wanted to work with her at the time, but a few had come around.  
That brought the grand total up to seven individuals, all under strict orders to not leave the city, and were further restricted to certain areas of the station. They were all outfitted with internal tracking devices, but the devices also garnered protection, providing the individuals with a sort of “panic button” that would put a powerful shield around them and alert her and Aethon. It took a lot of power (the devices were only one-time use before they had to be recharged) but it was possible. The San’Shyuum would all get a similar device. While their gravity thrones had shields of massive power, they were vulnerable to melee attack. That was how many of the Councilors killed by the conservatives had died.  
Blue had to extensively demonstrate the abilities of her devices before the San’Shyuum would accept them and be willing to once again take up government positions. But, in the end, they did accept.  
“Roughly four hundred of my kind remain,” Unity warbled, a bit saddened. “We once had millions. Those who did not flee with the Jiralhanae died in the Schism and at the hands of angry Sangheili.”  
“Well done to protect those who remain,” she congratulated the Councilor on the side. “They listen well to you, and you have worked hard for their cause.”  
“They will come to listen just as well to you,” Unity replied. “The shipmasters are waiting, Ascendant. Let us go to them.”  
Blue had all the high-ranked Sangheili gather in a courtyard, at the base of a set of wide stairs. There were rooms high above, on the towers, that the San’Shyuum filtered into, to listen into the proclamations in a more safer space.  
Many were leaving, that was undeniable. Of those gathered, none were fleetmasters, only shipmasters (‘Ayanam among them) and others of lesser titles. ‘Ayanam had brought with him his most experienced Zealots; his Zealot-majority crew was now a Zealot-minority crew since most of the religious devout were either leaving to search for new meaning and more answers on their own, or just straight up leaving because they didn’t want to follow Blue’s human-loving “heresy”. But, a few had remained, their loyalty to their shipmaster stronger than any bond religion demanded. Blue had found out, to her surprise, that ‘Ayanam’s former rank among the Covenant had been that of a General, denoted by the golden armor he wore. It just spoke more to just how snubbed the shipmaster had been by the Hierarchs.  
She’d gotten enough curiosity to ask him about it. He’d snorted, looked away, and replied with, “They used their token tool Tartarus to make up trouble about me. Tarry me in the eyes of my superiors. Before then, I was rising fast, dedicated to the cause and able to command a force like none other. I was getting too much support, too fast. So they cast me down, and away. Put me on a ship with a skeleton crew of rabble-rousers and sent me to the far reaches of the galaxy. But I got those rabble-rousers in line. I didn’t let my ships dissolve into chaos, like they wanted them to.”  
She’d seen enough of ‘Ayanam’s crew to know how much of a family they were. At least, the core group that used to command the Fearless Wander had been very close, and still were.  
Now, standing in front of them all, she inhaled, gathering her thoughts. Any nerves she had before, when speaking in front of crowds, were gone. They just didn’t seem important anymore.  
“My friends, I thank you for gathering here today,” she began. “I am deeply grateful of your continued loyalty and support. I hope to repay you for your great services by building this new state with determination and honor.”  
Not all who would leave her did it as a potential enemy; many had wished to follow the Arbiter instead of her, and thus had left with him. Both considered the other an ally, and Blue wished to keep it that way. She graciously asked for ‘Vadam and his people to keep contact, as she would with them. All communications with the Arbiter went through Aethon, so she had autonomy over who aboard her faction was privy to outside information.  
“We have seen our past failures, and I wish to avoid them again,” she continued. “I have proposed a governmental structure to you already, and it seems by your presence here that you are in some agreeance with it. We will work out the details together.”  
She clasped her hands behind her back, shoulders squared. To her onlookers, she radiated a new and almost immortal confidence.  
“We must have a smaller head of command. The High Council was too many, too divided. Instead, I will work with this station’s best and brightest to lead us forward into a new dawn.”  
Her structure was like a pyramid. At its base were many Ministries, some higher than others. Above the many Ministries, all headed by San’Shyuum, were the Council of Masters and Council of Civility. She had carried over the former name from the time of the Covenant, though the regulations for membership had gotten tighter. Now, that Council would only contain individuals of shipmaster rank or higher. Lower-ranked Sangheili could find membership in the Ministries the Council of Masters overlooked.  
The Council of Civility dealt with everything the Masters did not; one handled military decisions and the “exterior” activities of the base, and the other dealt with the “interior”. The Council of Civility dealt with everything from agriculture to civic dispute, and this would be where most of the San’Shyuum were stationed.  
And, above it all, was the Council of the Ascendant. Her Council. It was made up of her, the Councilor of Unity (who headed the Council of Civility now) and the highest few officials from the Council of Masters. Masters was headed by the highest-ranked and most senior official, and would bring with him a chosen few second-in-commands to Blue’s Council.  
“We must focus on working together, towards a better future,” she urged. “The people aboard this station want peace. They want unity. And they are willing to fight for it. If we stand side-by-side, we will be all the stronger. There are still enemies out there we must defeat, and we shall!”  
The gathered Sangheili thrust their fists up, roaring in support. They knew the darkness that was brewing. They’d seen some of their own comrades leave, in disgust and horror for what was happening. They’d heard the whispered words pass between clenched mandibles - words of war and betrayal. And Blue, with all her farsight, knew where they were going.  
 _To other factions. Ones who are returning to the old ways, or others who continue to be blinded by the Covenant religion. Others who wish to vye for their own powers, and destroy others. Those who still wage war on humanity. Those who still wage war on us._  
“We will throw aside the cloak that kept us blind, and seek the new light!” she declared. “Together, through humility and honor, we will forge a new state that will shine like never before. We will conquer all who oppose us, discover more of the world around us, and seek new technologies and new ways of living that will bring all the galaxy into a better state of being. Those who will stand in our way must not be permitted!” She swept her hand harshly through the air. “If they cannot be convinced to abandon their ways, and strike against us, then we must take up arms. And an attack on our allies is an attack on us. And an attack on you is an attack on me. All those who wear the badge are under my protection!”  
Everyone aboard the station now had one of her energetic shielding devices. A backup shield, they were called now, and they had been upgraded to be more efficient and effective. And now, they all toted the same symbol: a circle inscribed with the outline of lifted wings, boarding a narrow, draconic head with a tail curling up from the bottom.  
“I am your humble servant,” the draconic concluded. “I have proven my worth in your eyes. Let us go together into the new dawn, and rejoice!”  
The uproar was thunderous, shaking the air around them. Blue inhaled, a smile on her face, eyes sparkling happily. For a moment, she could forget all about the thousand troubles around her. She could forget about the wars, the pain. She could forget about BTS.  
 _Well done, Ascendant,_ ‘Ayanam congratulated her.  
She nodded. _There is still much work to be done. It may be years before this station is fully self-sufficient. I am glad to have you here to help me._  
As am I, Ascendant. Once you see what we can do, I think those years of yours will fade away.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	4. 2.2: Old Shadows

2.2: Old Shadows

“There’s rumor going around Sanghelios of an attack against an elder and his brother,” Aethon reported to Blue. “The two were found hanged and mutilated for taking down a Forerunner monument on their land. This was...about a week ago, I think.”  
“So there are still many running around on Sanghelios with religious fervor on their minds,” Blue mused. “I’m not surprised...I heard some of the Sangheili who left us talking about some faction called “Abiding Truth”. They’re dedicated to the old ways.”  
“At least most of the people here have shrugged off the old religion,” Aethon said. “The Sangheili seem completely done with it, the San’Shyuum too. I mean…the Unggoy still worship the Forerunners as gods, but they worship you too, and don’t believe in the Halos anymore. I think that’s what counts.”  
“We’re in no state to be haring off to learn more of these events,” Blue muttered. “Make sure the Arbiter knows our position, however, and if something deadly does arise, we can send help. But I’d rather be left alone for the time being.”  
She’d taken “left alone” to an extreme; High Charity was currently orbiting an uninhabited (and uninhabitable) planet light years away from the nearest colony of any species. Mining teams were on the planet’s surface, extracting from it a rich plethora of raw materials. Through food supplies and whatever the agricultural support ships that had remained with the city, they could sustain their population for over a year before they needed to return to a friendly planet for supplies. And if the hydroponics developments within High Charity continued to succeed at the fantastic pace they currently held, that date could be pushed out easily.  
She had been worried that the Sangheili onboard would grow restless, seeking a fight, but it seemed they knew the value of patient development.  
High Charity had but a single fleet (once more ships were repaired, that would change), led by the now-Fleetmaster of Dawn, N’tuk ‘Tusam, who had previously led the Fleet of Righteous Vigilance. He’d been the popular choice to lead the new fleet, since it contained many of his own ships, and he was the most experienced of the group. He kept graceful command of the many vessels, and Blue was thankful for his seemingly-endless experience. Promoting him to the only title of Fleetmaster meant he also became the leader of the Council of Masters and a member of the Council of the Ascendant.  
The previously-denounced Sesa ‘Refum had found retribution as well; his crew was working under the Ministry of Development to redesign the internals of High Charity for its residents and new systems of agriculture. They worked with the seven Jiralhanae as well, though the latter few did the majority of the grueling, heavy work. ‘Refum was happy with his position, at the moment, knowing it was better than what had been his destiny before.  
‘Ayanam was doing well, like the others. The battlecruiser he’d taken command of had been renamed as Swift through the Night. The crew on the corvettes that had accompanied the Fearless Wander had been promoted as well, joining the crews of larger battleships. The smaller ships were being passed into the hands of lower-ranked Sangheili and some Kig-Yar.  
“I am somewhat saddened to let the Fearless Wander go,” ‘Ayanam had admitted. “She served me through the darkest of nights, when we thought for sure we would not live to see another day. But I must accept this new command, for I have much more potential than a small frigate. She will serve her next crew well.”  
Blue secretly hoped that ‘Refum would get a ship of his own one day, once his currently-unspecified sentence of hard labor lifted. The Sangheili worked with ferocious diligence, overjoyed to simply be among his people again, and have them accept him.  
“The vibes here are pretty good now,” Aethon admitted. “Maybe we can hope that things will settle down quickly.”  
“The Brood Mother is still no friend of mine,” Blue grudgingly admitted. “She’s agreeable, but not very helpful.”  
“At least your brood is well,” Aethon said brightly. “It’s grown in size, too. You may be able to use their contacts to make deals with Kig-Yar pirates, if necessary.”  
“The Yanme’e are overjoyed to be doing engineering work again,” Blue changed the subject. “I still have no idea where the Huragok went.” The Yanme’e were proficient, but there was damage on many of the ships they couldn’t repair. Aethon was doing his best, among the docks most of the time, overseeing repairs.  
The final piece of the puzzle were the Mgalekgolo, who were also working with the Ministry of Development. Their mind-blowing strength speeded things along quite nicely, since High Charity had near to nothing in the ways of demolitions equipment, so that had to be done by hand. The separate individuals that made up a Mgalekgolo, the Lekgolo, were also proving helpful, able to get into places nobody else could. The only problem was making sure communications between the wormlike creatures and the other species was clear.  
Moral was high. But Blue still felt a heavy weight on her shoulders.  
She still couldn’t sense BTS. He was still dark to her.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
 _Transmission from the UNSC,_ Aethon called. _They’ve invited you to a ceremony on March 3rd. It’s a memorial ceremony to everyone who died at the Ark._  
Blue was on her way to meet with the Councilor of Unity when she received the message from her ship. She stopped for a moment, wrapping her hands around the railing of the banister lining the high walkway she stood on.  
 _How many days is that away? She asked.  
Sixteen, I think. High Charity can make the slipspace jump in time, if we leave soon._  
The station was still hiding out in the far reaches of the galaxy, but knowing their presence could be needed practically anywhere, at any time, Blue had been working on some engine upgrades. In specific, she wanted to put hyperspace drives on the station.  
It would be a feat never done before. The largest spacefaring object known to her was the AP’s Pageon Station Alpha, and even that structure was only around half of High Charity’s size. The amount of energy it would take to project such a large and heavy object into hyperspace was astronomical, but Station Alpha achieved the fact through using massive batteries and energy resonators, devices that took pure energy and amplified its potential. The resonators were complicated devices that used materials endemic to a single moon orbiting a desolate planet controlled by the AP. So, of course, High Charity wasn’t going to get to it any time soon, but Blue didn’t doubt she could recreate the chemical structure of the material and fabricate it herself.  
Once up to speed, it would take relatively little energy to keep High Charity in hyperspace. The station would have massive amounts of momentum and would basically propel itself. Blue just needed to make sure it had a very long distance to slow down once it exited hyperspace.  
With hyperdrives, the station could go anywhere in the galaxy in a fraction of the time slipspace would take. It could also use hyperspace as an escape method, if it came under attack. Ships could potentially follow the base into slipspace, but not into hyperspace. And theoretically, the station could be used as a deadly weapon once it was hyperspace capable.  
When an object exited hyperspace, it could exit anywhere, no matter what was already there. But, if an object happened to touch another solid mass upon exiting, the object containing the lower mass would be annihilated. High Charity’s massive size meant it could be used as a giant vaporizing ray, if the target didn’t have energy shields. Shields would cut through an object exiting hyperspace like it was butter. The warfaring technique, because of this, was rarely used, and was a weapon of last resort.  
But now, she had other things to worry about. Unity still needed to talk to her.  
She made her way up the tall towers leading to the chambers of the highest-ranked San’Shyuum on the station. He had declined an offer to take a residence in the old chambers of the Hierarchs, saying it would be too much like the old days.  
His offices were still, by all means, very luxurious. Blue nodded to the Honor Guardsmen posted at the tall, beautifully-inscribed doors. They nodded back, and the doors opened on their own.  
The Councilor of Unity was visible at the other end of the hall revealed by the doors, looking through a bubbled glass window over the city. He turned in his gravity throne as Blue entered, long, pale neck looking over his shoulder and welcome in his blue eyes.  
“Ascendant,” he greeted her, dipping his head. She bowed her own, touching her two fingers to her forehead. “Councilor. I hope I find you well?”  
“Very,” he replied, folding his hands in his lap. Blue strode to the window to stand beside him.  
“I shudder every time I think of this beautiful city overrun by Flood,” he said. “We owe you an unpayable debt, Ascendant, for what you did.”  
“It is my duty to serve all life that seeks to live free,” the draconic replied. “I am honored and humbled by how many have chosen to walk this path with me.”  
Unity nodded. “Indeed, we are seeing times aboard this station unlike any I have seen before. Are you aware that our Unggoy population has risen to above two billion in a matter of a few months?”  
Blue nodded. “I’ve walked among them, and they are a non-stop party, Councilor. I have encouraged them to start and grow their families, so we may soon see this base become self-sufficient. Hydroponics and traditional agriculture endeavors continue to bear fruit, pardon the pun.”  
“The Minister of Agriculture is working nonstop to assure our success,” Unity agreed, smiling. “I would love to speak to his promotion, but I did not call you here to talk about him today.”  
“Who is it you wish to speak about, Councilor?” Blue questioned, clasping her hands behind her back. She turned her head, tilting it up to face the Councilor.  
“The Minister of Dispute,” Unity told her. “The other Ministers have been complaining of her.”  
“They have?” Blue was confused. “Dispute works with endless determination, from what I have seen. The Ministry of Development is working on great housing plans for the Kig-Yar and their nests because of her urging. What wrong has she done?”  
“Not in her job,” Unity agreed. “She is tireless in her devotion. But, the other Ministers have complained that she is never around to accept their company, or to socialize. As soon as her work abroad is done, she retreats to that low tower of hers and locks herself in. No one can find her to ask her what she is doing by herself.”  
“That would be her own business, I would think?” Blue questioned. “I know plenty of people who prefer the company of themselves to others.”  
“The Ministers are becoming more far-sighted, but they are snobbish and traditional still,” Unity replied. “Of all the San’Shyuum aboard this station, the females are but a few. And Dispute is unarguably the most beautiful of them all.”  
“Oh,” Blue muttered. “It’s for those reasons.”  
“Fret not, she will not come to harm,” Unity promised. “Her husband may yet be alive, and rides with our enemy, so the others tread with caution, afraid of his wrath. But they are still brave enough to complain to me.”  
“Would you like me to talk to her?” Blue offered. “I will make sure she is alright. But I will not ask her to entertain the likes of some dry, old Minister who’s been far too lonely for too many nights.”  
Unity chuckled at that, flesh beneath his chin wobbling. “I would not ask that of you, either. But please, make sure she is alright. Without her resourcefulness, we are at a loss. She has a knack with the other species, and they trust her.”  
Blue bowed her head. “I will see to it, Councilor. Good day to you.”  
Unity waved her off with a smile. “Good day to you too, Ascendant.”  
~


	5. 2.3: The Blessed Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If I'm going to save High Charity, of course I'm also going to save the gentle, loving San'Shyuum with the baby. For those who are unfamiliar with the books, Yalar is from the digital novella, Halo: Shadow of Intent.

2.3: The Blessed Child

Blue exited Unity’s tower, mind plotting her path. With a nimble leap, she landed upon the balcony railing, hind feet clutching it. Cheers came from below; she looked down to see a few Unggoy waving at her from a balcony below hers. She waved back, spread her wings, and launched into the air.  
She soared on wing over the city, admiring the gleaming buildings and glittering lights. The Dreadnought sat in the middle like a bright monument, watching over the city. It fit in like it had never been gone in the first place.  
Her destination was on the far side, where the tall towers became shorter and older. Her destination lay in the lower districts, at a small obsidian tower where the Minister of Dispute lived. Or, as Blue also knew her, Yalar’Otan’Elan.  
The Minister had been offered to move from her cramped apartment, but had declined like Unity did. She wanted to remain close to her work, dealing with the residents of the lower districts.  
Her apartment was near the top, and Blue still had a bad habit of entering homes through their windows. She landed on the tower’s black wall, near the Minister’s window.  
“Permission to enter?” she called. Only one creature would enter a home through its windows, and all the residents knew who that was.  
She knew the Minister was inside; when she used her thermal vision, she saw her lithe figure through snake-glass. But, when nobody replied, a frown crossed her angular face.  
_Is she alright?_ She repeated the greeting, edging closer to the window, which was currently closed, but her voice carried right through.  
“Yes, yes,” the hurried, strained voice suddenly replied, and the window was thrown open. The Minister poked her head through, spotting Blue. “Please, Ascendant, come on in.”  
Blue crawled over to the window and through it, the Minister hurriedly stepping back to let her in. She moved nervous and flighty, eyes flickering around the room.  
“I’ve been sent by Unity to check on you,” the draconic explained, dropping her shoulders and bending her legs to appear slightly smaller, hoping to help lessen the Minister’s current anxiety. “The other Ministers have been complaining of your rejection of their company. I’m not here to pander to them; I just want to make sure everything is alright with you.”  
“Oh, everything is fine!” Blue could sense the false cheeriness in the Minister’s voice. “Nothing wrong here. I’m just very busy.”  
The draconic nodded slowly. “As we all are. But you are riddled with anxiety and nerves, my dear Minister. What is it that ails you? It makes me sorrowed to see you this way.”  
“I’m fine, I promise,” the Minister replied. “My work is very stressful, Ascendant. Surely you understand that?”  
Blue nodded again, but did not immediately reply. She had a feeling about what was going on, and it all stemmed from the slightly strange shape the Minister had on her thermal imaging…  
“Oh dear,” the draconic gasped, hand going to her mouth. At the same time, the Minister recoiled fearfully, having just felt the Ascendant touch her mind.  
“Please don’t hurt her,” the Minister whispered.  
“My dear Yalar,” Blue replied, holding her hands up placatingly. “I would never, never harm a child. You did not have to hide this from us! A new life should be celebrated and cherished.” She clasped her hands together. “I am so sorry you feared this so.”  
“She is all I have left,” Yalar said, voice shaking. “I feared the Sangheili would kill her. She is defenseless, helpless. I am all she has.”  
“No harm will come to her,” Blue promised, voice strong. “I will see to that myself. No creature aboard this station should live in fear of another.”  
The Minister looked downcast, tired and heavy. “Would you...please not tell anyone about her?”  
The draconic nodded. “I won’t. I promise.”  
She lifted her left hand, palm up. Light gathered there, and a small disc appeared, complete with its own draconic design. It was one of the energetic shield generators, but much smaller. She lifted her right hand; more light gathered, and formed into a small cube that changed colors at a slow pace.  
“May I meet her?” she asked quietly. “I would like to give these to her.”  
Yalar nodded, and led the Ascendant over to another room of the small apartment. It was her bedroom, but the bed had been pushed to the side, almost discarded. On the other side of the room was a structure similar to a cradle, and inside was the young child, swaddled in yellow blankets.  
Yalar reached into the cradle and picked up the child, holding her lovingly in her arms. The child awoke, saw her mom, and babbled happily.  
“What’s her name?” Blue asked quietly, remaining at a few paces distance until invited closer.  
“Prema’Elat,” Yalar replied. “I would give her the name of her father...but I don’t want people to know who her father is. They would be even more likely to kill her then.”  
“I will not pry, nor tell,” Blue promised. “She is beautiful, Yalar.” the infant babbled happily and observed Blue through bright green eyes.  
Yalar smiled faintly, eyes on her child. “Thank you. It is rare for a San’Shyuum to become with child. She is a miracle to me…”  
Blue held out the small disc, and Yalar took it. She knew what it was; she wore one of her own, the special one that she could activate if any of the station’s residents attacked her. She attached it to the cloth of her infant’s swaddling.  
“It will stop all intent of harm from reaching her,” Blue promised. “It will also alert you and I to her danger. You should not have to fear for her safety.”  
“Thank you, Ascendant,” Yalar said, eyes downcast. “Thank you for understanding.”  
“Of course,” Blue replied. She held out the colorful cube, which floated from her hand and to the cradle, affixing to the bottom of the bar that arched over it. From the cube, a holographic image of Yalar’s face projected. The face looked up, spotted the child in the real Yalar’s arms, and smiled.  
“She will be less lonely with you always nearby,” Blue said. She understood now why Yalar was always on the move, without any extra time. She was running back and forth between her job and her child, constantly needing to check on both.  
“You shouldn’t fear to bring her to work with you,” the draconic continued. “But in the meantime...she won’t have to be alone anymore.”  
“I can bring her with me,” Yalar admitted quietly. “I’ve been too scared to. It will take a few days to track down the right carrier, but it is what I should do. She should not be alone as much as she has been.”  
“If there is anything I can do for you, please tell me,” Blue urged. “Anything. I have never been a mother, and never will be, but my mind is vast enough to understand many things about it. I will protect your daughter just as I protect everyone else on this station.”  
“Thank you,” Yalar whispered again. She looked away from her child, to Blue’s face. Her eyes were brimming with tears.  
Blue bowed her head, touching her fingers between her eyes. “No, thank you. Thank you for all you have done, and continue to do. You have been invaluable to the restructuring and recovery of this station. Your daughter will be so proud of you once she is old enough to understand.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	6. 2.4: Parangosky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scary lady is here.

2.4: Parangosky

High Charity exited slipspace above Earth, currently out of orbit. The station would remain that way, far enough away that one could miss its lights if they scanned the night sky too quickly. Blue didn’t want to cause panic by putting her moon-sized base into orbit above the planet.  
She would embark for the memorial service aboard ‘Ayanam’s battlecruiser Swift through the Night. Aethon would remain in the holy city, overseeing things in her absence.  
‘Ayanam was enjoying his newfound position in the Council of Masters, back among his people with his voice being heard. He was greeted with respect for the work he had done in the salvation of High Charity and the retrieval of the Dreadnought.  
Being a new promotant to the battlecruiser, he hadn’t been a candidate for the choice shipmasters that Fleetmaster ‘Tusam would bring with him to the Council of the Ascendant. He didn’t mind, however; it gave him more free time, and when Blue had discovered his name among those available to escort her to the surface, she gladly chose him.  
The battlecruiser led the small group of ships to Earth, acting as a temporary flagship for the escort. Blue could sense ‘Ayanam’s hidden joy at leading what was almost an actual fleet as the shipmaster commanded from his platform high above the flight deck.  
The memorial service was taking place on the Kenyan savannah, beneath the shadow of the still-beautiful Mount Kilimanjaro. The memorial itself was erected on a windswept hillside above the city of Voi. Or, what remained of it.  
On the way down, Blue pondered how many long-winded speeches she’d have to sit through. Humans were aptly capable of such feats.  
 _If BTS was here...he’d make some snide remark or pun about the incoming slurry of breath,_ she thought to herself. A pang of sadness rang in her chest at the thought.  
 _I wonder if they’ve put his name on the monument, with everyone else’s._  
‘Ayanam, from above, noticed her brooding, but didn’t comment on it, knowing well enough what it was about.  
The memorial began at daybreak, in just a few hours. She ordered her escort to stay aboard their ships until the time of the memorial came.  
“Are you going to ground soon?” ‘Ayanam asked her.  
She nodded. “I should. I’d invite you to come, but seeing that only I was invited to the memorial, I have a feeling some humans would see that as an intrusion.”  
‘Ayanam crossed his arms and snorted. “Not that I’d want to see some measly human ceremony anyways. I have seen much grander things in my day.” He looked disdainful. “Their architecture is primitive.”  
“Perhaps,” the draconic agreed, “but it is always worthy to expand one’s horizons.”  
“Sirsir wanna come with you!” the friendly Unggoy came bouncing around the corner, waving his scaly arms. “Sirsir wanna see humans!”  
“You have to stay here, Sirsir,” Blue chuckled. “Sorry, but they didn’t invite you.”  
“Awwww…” Sirsir’s body slouched. “Okeedokee…” he trundled away slowly.  
“I’ll find a souvenir for you, I promise,” Blue called after him, hands cupped around her mouth. Sirsir pricked right up at that and clapped his hands happily before running off.  
“I don’t know where he finds the energy,” ‘Ayanam grumbled, two fingers pushing against the center of his brow. “Or how he hasn’t danced in front of somebody’s line of fire and gotten himself killed yet.”  
“Never underestimate the tenacity of the little guy,” the draconic quipped. “They will surprise you if you let them.”  
“Surprise you with a giant mess you have to clean up,” the Shipmaster snorted, crossing his arms. “You cannot trust most of the Unggoy with responsibilities. Some, I have seen become leaders among their own kind. But do so much as command others? Oversee important activities? Bah. You are asking for trouble.”  
“You say that, but at the same time I know you don’t quite believe it,” Blue chuckled, angling her head down and shading her eyes. “You wouldn’t be here today without your Unggoy.”  
‘Ayanam snorted again. “It is impossible to keep secrets around you, Ascendant.”  
“There is no shame in having to rely on others to aid you,” the draconic said in a lowered voice. “We are coming to a new state, Shipmaster, one where everyone has the same potential. Some will rise above others, but birthright will be damned. We are all capable of greatness.”  
“We shall see then,” ‘Ayanam replied mildly. “I know better than to underestimate you when you have an idea in mind.” He shrugged. “But I will not be waiting around for it.”  
“I’ll be back to the ship tomorrow afternoon or evening, after the ceremony,” Blue moved the conversation onwards. “Everyone should stay here. Don’t antagonize the humans and their measly architecture, ok?”  
“We won’t,” ‘Ayanam promised. He didn’t laugh, but the humor was in his amber eyes.  
The sun was still below the horizon when Blue exited the ship, going down the gravity lift to the landing pad below. There were humans nearby, watching the ship, waiting for her.  
She landed, and the gravity lift turned off. She nodded to the humans waiting to escort her to whatever was next.  
Her escort was a contingent of UNSC marines, nobody she recognized. Their apparent leader (she knew well enough how to identify rank by what the people wore and toted on their uniforms) nodded back to her, greeting her with a formal, “Ascendant.”  
He’d said the word weird, as if he’d wanted to say something more military-ish, like “Admiral” instead. Her self-made title had preceded her, but not by a while.  
Her escort didn’t seem much into conversation; they seemed nervous. Blue didn’t blame them, though she dearly hoped every human she met wasn’t going to be like this.  
“Where are we going?” she asked politely, keeping her voice quiet.  
“To the hill,” the leader replied. “Everyone is gathering there, ma’am. The service starts in approximately an hour.”  
Ma’am too. It was almost cute.  
The memorial site was not right next to where they’d docked their ships. Blue’s eyes identified the waiting Warthog in the dark.  
“I am eternally grateful for the sheer determination embedded in UNSC ground vehicles,” she stated. “Without a Warthog, I never would’ve escaped the Ark.”  
She was just trying to create pleasant conversation, and starting with a relatable topic seemed to be a good angle for these guys. Indeed, it broke the ice a bit, the group’s leader smiling slightly and nodding. “There’s no better vehicle out there, no doubt.”  
“What’s it like, to drive one?” Blue asked. “I haven’t driven a proper, wheeled vehicle in a very long time. Seems senseless, when my own means of transportation are much faster.”  
“Like driving an elephant,” the leader replied. “Oh, do you know what an elephant is? Sorry.”  
Blue nodded. “I do. Do you still have elephants here?”  
“They went extinct in the 21st century,” the leader told her, “but we brought them back in 2345. They’re still around, though only in sanctuaries.”  
“If you don’t mind me asking, how fast can you fly?” one of the other marines piped up. “Warthogs are pretty fast.”  
“Well, I can fly faster than light if I wanted to,” Blue began, internally chuckling as the eyes of the marines all bugged out of their heads. “But that takes a massive amount of power, so I don’t do that often. I rely on my ship for that.”  
They had reached the Warthog; the group’s leader took the driver’s seat. It wasn’t the typical Warthog Blue was used to; it had four additional seats and no turret-mounted weapon. The other marines offered her shotgun before getting into the back.  
“Faster than light, eh?” the driver asked as he started the vehicle. “That’s ridiculous.”  
“It is, but it works much better than slipspace,” Blue countered. “Hyperspace, my people named it. I can travel distances in only a fraction of the time your ships can.”  
“So how fast can you run?” the curious marine still wanted justification for her claim to be able to outrun a Warthog.  
“I can sustain a 200 kilometer-per-hour run on four legs, but I’ve gone up to 236 kph before. That’s my record,” the draconic proudly proclaimed, grinning a little. The marines’ eyes got even bigger.  
“You have four legs?” he gasped.  
Blue chuckled and tapped her arms. “Two legs and two arms that can be legs.”  
“Oh,” the marine looked slightly embarrassed to not have thought of that.  
“Don’t worry about it,” the draconic said breezily. “I’m aware of how confusing I am. I’ve had a while to get used to it.”  
“So you knew the Forerunners, eh?” the driver asked her.  
She nodded, quickly forming her canned response. “I did, somewhat. Or, I used to. A lot of my memory has been lost over the term of my imprisonment and hibernation.”  
“I can’t believe you willinging joined those alien bastards,” one of the marines in the back muttered.  
“They found me, not the other way around,” Blue leaned back and replied. “I didn’t have much of a choice. Besides, they seemed like decent people. I had no idea they were in a giant war when they first contacted me. I didn’t know what was going on. I’d been asleep for lifetimes.”  
“Decent people,” the marine snorted. “That’s a good one.”  
“I understand how unforgivable their actions are,” the draconic said, turning her head around so one of her blue eyes was visible. “Trust me, I do. I’d like to make sure those actions never happen again.”  
The marine didn’t reply, staring off into the distance. Blue saw the image of a lost family floating through his mind.  
 _They know about me and the Forerunners. My made-up history._ She had no doubt in her mind that Cortana had told the Chief everything she’d told the AI about herself, and perhaps the Chief had passed that information on. Something that significant would travel like wildfire, almost as fast as if Cortana had met a real Forerunner. Confidence be damned, information was hard to keep secret these days.  
“We’re almost there,” the driver said after a few more minutes of silence. “You’ve been instructed to join the group that’s going to be standing at the base of the monument.”  
“Alright,” Blue accepted with a nod.  
The Warthog turned and came to a stop at the base of the gently-sloping hill that led to the monument. Many individuals had already gathered, standing in neat rows leading up the hill. Blue identified people of many different military branches, by uniform and badges. She even spotted a group of SPARTAN-IIs gathered, few in number.  
The memorial itself appeared to be the broken wing of a Pelican dropship, raised above the ground on a platform. Stairs led up to the memorial, and its base was littered with flowers, pictures, and candles. It was serene, but terribly somber. As it should have been.  
A line of seven marines flanked the platform, carrying lowered battle rifles. Lord Hood was standing up on the memorial’s platform, evidently going to speak soon.  
Blue swung her head around slowly, scanning the crowd as she came closer. Her marine escort continued to walk; it would seem her place would not be at the back of the crowd. That would have been preferred; she didn’t want to draw attention to herself.  
People had been talking quietly amongst themselves while they waited; when the whisk of her tail over the ground came to their ears, they turned. Voices fell silent when eyes alighted her silvered body, head framed by horns and armored plates. She saw a few people take a step back.  
 _I’m not as big as some thought I’d be. The tales grow taller quickly._  
Her escort led her to the front lines of the gathering. She turned her head and spotted the gleam of the Arbiter’s silvery armor. He met her gaze. She dipped her head, touching her fingers to her forehead briefly. He nodded respectfully in reply. It was brief, but she felt comforted that the humans had invited him, and that she wasn’t the only alien present.  
Someone’s gaze was burning into her back. She turned casually, and met the glare of a small, older-looking woman who’s uniform and badges singled her out as a very high-ranking individual. And she was staring at Blue with a look of undisguised distrust. The draconic turned away without acknowledgement.  
 _Let’s see what your mind has for me..._ She didn’t like to pry into people’s minds without good reason. But the gaze of this woman was so downright venomous, she knew her deal had to be something out of the ordinary. Plus, she seemed to be highly ranked, so her opinion meant more in a lot of circles. If she could see exactly why this little old woman distrusted her so much, perhaps she could reconcile later on. If anything, it would help her to heal old wounds by knowing what had caused them. The less high-ranked military people against her, the better.  
The woman’s name was Margaret Parangosky, and she was the Commander-in-Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence. Her current thoughts were on something she called Kilo-Five, who was apparently going to someplace called Venezia soon, which was having rebellion problems.  
 _Well, why don’t you like me?_  
Blue kept her eyes up to the memorial, serene in expression. Her attention, however, was focused on the woman. Scanning through her thoughts was a bit like searching a very large digital document, with the keyword ‘Blue’.  
 _Wait a moment...what is this I see in your memories?_  
She had recently assigned a person, who more of her memories identified as the leader of Kilo-Five, to lead the team on a covert mission to provide aid to a Sangheili splinter faction known as Servants of Abiding Truth.  
 _Abiding Truth! I know their name. Some of the Sangheili who left High Charity for good mentioned their name. They were Zealots, dedicated to the old ways._  
She delved deeper. The lady reached up a hand and scratched her head, wondering if she had a headache coming on.  
 _Abiding Truth are enemies of the Arbiter!_  
Blue kept her calm, but inside, her mind raged. She withdrew from Parangosky’s head and scanned around until she found the mind of Kilo-Five’s leader, who was one of the SPARTAN-IIs, but wasn’t in armor. Within her memories, she found evidence of the covert team providing weaponry to the splinter faction. It was damning. They wanted them to go to war against the Arbiter.  
 _What is this???_ Her mind churned. A sweep through Lord Hood’s mind proved he didn’t know of the plot.  
 _The humans are not as united as I thought…_  
She grimaced internally. It had been such a wonderful thought, the idea of lasting peace after the events that had just transpired. But, apparently, that would not be the case.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	7. 2.5: Those Who Did Not Return

2.5: Those Who Did Not Return

At that moment, Lord Hood chose to start speaking, so Blue withdrew her probes to respectfully pay attention.  
The fleet admiral removed his hat, expression tired and somber, yet powerful and resolute. He began his speech, voice projection far across the gathered crowd.  
“For us, the storm has passed... the war is over.” His words hung heavy in the still dawn air. “But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure; sacrifice, and unshakable conviction that their fight... our fight, was elsewhere. As we start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren, a memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us, and they shall not be forgotten."  
He put his hat back on and snapped into a sharp salute. “Present arms!” he ordered.  
Blue knew humans liked to fire guns into the sky as a form of respect, and she had no doubt that was what the seven rifle-toting marines were for. Indeed, the crisply-dressed line lifted their rifles, moving in tandem, and fired them into the air.  
They fired each shot, the sound ringing through the air and across the wide plains. Blue tilted her head back, looking to the sky that echoed with the noise.  
As the sounds faded, Lord Hood gestured to ‘Vadam, inviting him to come to the platform. The Arbiter quietly strode from the crowd, leaving his guards behind. He climbed the stairs to stand with the patiently waiting man, leaders of humans and Sangheili standing together.  
Lord Hood spoke, in a tone that was unheard by the crowd, save for Blue’s sharp ears. “I remember how this war started. What your kind did to mine. I can't forgive you. But…” He held out his hand. “You have my thanks, for standing by him to the end."  
The Arbiter shook his hand silently. Lord Hood turned, and Blue’s eyes met his. He gestured for her to come forth.  
She broke from the crowd, taking long steps over the earth. She ascended the stairs, stepping quietly. Her tail whisked after her, whisper of metal on metal following her.  
“You have my thanks as well,” he said to her, inclining his head. “I hope our two nations can grow closer over time, and that we may come to know more about you.”  
He held out his hand; Blue shook it. She could tell he was surprised to feel the warmth of living skin instead of the chill of armor when he took her hand.  
They withdrew their hands. Lord Hood turned his head, looking to a section of the memorial. It said, along the top, a name. John-117.  
“Hard to believe he’s dead,” he said quietly. Blue’s stomach dropped; if the UNSC believed the Chief was dead, that didn’t bode well for BTS, though the metal tiger was a much tougher nut to crack than even the best SPARTAN-II.  
The Arbiter looked away, to the sky, where his own ships hovered near Blue’s. “Were it so easy…”  
“I will not stop searching for them,” Blue vowed quietly.  
Lord Hood looked at her. “Your friend might still be alive, you think?”  
“I never felt him die,” the draconic replied, but her voice was tinged with bitterness. Her connection with BTS had been cut by the distance put between them. If he had died, she wouldn’t have felt it. But the humans didn’t know that. They didn’t need to know that.  
Lord Hood nodded. “I wish you the best.”  
They fell silent, as did the rest of the gathered crowd, all lost in remembrance.  
Blue didn’t pay attention to how much time passed until the point when Lord Hood dismissed them.  
She lifted her head. _Aethon, there’s something we need to discuss._  
“Some of the other UNSC leaders and I are gathering in a local bar, to share a drink,” Lord Hood spoke up, interrupting her transmission. “You both are invited to join us.”  
“I would be honored to oblige, but I must be returning to my ship, and my home,” the Arbiter replied. “I will leave you here in solemn spirits.”  
Blue touched her fingers to her forehead. “Go swiftly, Arbiter. I hope we will meet again soon, in better times.”  
‘Vadam dipped his head. “As do I, Ascendant. I wish you and your people well.”  
The Arbiter turned, and descended the staircase, striding across the ground to rejoin his guard. They marched off into the morning light.  
Lord Hood looked back to her. “Will you be leaving as well?”  
There were things she had to take care of, yes. But this might be her only chance to figure out what was going on with this Kilo-Five thing.  
“I will join you, if you don't mind,” Blue told him. “I haven’t had a good, strong drink for ages.”  
“It’s settled, then,” Lord Hood said with a smile, military-grade but still a smile. “Come with me; I hope you’ll find Earth’s alcohol as good as whatever you drank among the Forerunners.”  
Aethon was waiting for her reply, having gotten her hail. As she followed Lord Hood to a Warthog that would take them to town, she communicated with her ship.  
 _Something fishy is going on, and I want your advice on what to do.  
I...Sure. What seems to be the problem?_  
She relayed her discoveries to him, feeling his shock and worry grow.  
 _That is very troubling,_ he agreed. _What do you think we should do?  
I feel very trapped. Telling the Sangheili will surely injure the fledgling relationship the humans have with them. It may even lead to another war, I fear. They are far too unstable to take this news without major trouble. And if I tell Lord Hood about this, it’ll reveal that I was spying on his people. The humans are not as stable as I thought. I wouldn’t want to split them apart either, or pit them against us. But Aethon, I want to know what you think about this.  
It’s tricky, I agree. I agree with the things you’ve said so far. Neither side will receive this information without repercussions. _He paused; his voice was uncertain. _We can’t reveal it all at once. It needs to come, bit by bit, if it is to come. But whatever we do, we must prevent Kilo-Five from destabilizing the Arbiter’s rule! Though we must keep in mind the health of our own nation as well.  
Indeed. I want no animosity towards my people. Towards myself, fine. If I have to take matters into my own hands, I will.  
I trust your decisions, Blue. You have my full support._  
They’d reached the town of Voi by Warthog, the driver dropping them off right in front of the bar. It was a modestly-sized place, clean-looking, the chatter from inside already audible. Lord Hood led her inside.  
The bar was abuzz with people, all sitting around and talking at tables and the bar itself. Military customs seemed to be off, for the time; a good few people acknowledged Lord Hood’s arrival with nods and salutes, but the entire room did not jump to attention.  
A part of the bar had been reserved, it seemed, for the lord and his guests. There were already a few people there, including Parangosky, to Blue’s relief. The little lady’s Kilo-Five protegee was with her.  
Parangosky didn’t seem too happy to see Blue come in with Lord Hood, but didn’t say anything. The group greeted each other, keeping things nice and amiable.  
Blue took a seat at the end of the line, to Lord Hood’s right. The bartender came over, to take their orders.  
Blue looked at Lord Hood. “Any suggestions? I’m not familiar with human liquors.”  
“Well, what kind of things did you drink?” he asked her.  
The draconic frowned thoughtfully. The best alcohol she’d ever had came from the breweries of Ageon cooks, distilled from a variety of rare water plant endemic to their planet. The collection of the plant was perilous, for it only grew at depths below two hundred and ninety feet, and tended to gather in areas inhabited by the planet’s very dangerous sea creatures. It could be collected by submarine, but it was often a contest for brave, young Ageo to dive down to the depths and hand-gather the plant, fighting off the dangerous sea creatures while braving the crushing depths on only one breath of air.  
“I prefer strong, but fragrant,” she replied, a simple description of the Ageon drink.  
“Well, I’d suggest the Guinevere's, then,” Lord Hood suggested, pointing out the bottle and brand he meant. “Try it; if you don’t like it, I’ve got more suggestions. Don’t worry, the drinks are on me tonight.”  
Blue ordered a round of the suggested drink; it was good, strong but smooth, though nowhere near the quality of Ageon liquor. She drank it gladly, either way. Strong liquors always had a way of clearing up her mind, and they burned wonderfully warm once they were absorbed into the rest of the energy flowing through her body.  
She kept herself involved in polite conversation while she snuck around in the minds of Parangosky and her protegee, Serin Osman. They were up to their necks in trouble.  
She also kept up a relay with Aethon, so he knew what she was discovering. _They have a Sangheili prisoner at a research facility called Trevelyan. His name is Jul ‘Mdama. He was captured by one of their team after he followed ‘Telcam to the planet, New Llanelli, and caught him dealing with ONI personnel. They also captured someone named Dr. Halsey, who was the mastermind behind the SPARTAN-II projects. They’ve also got a scientist they’re sending to Sanghelios to gather information for them._  
“So, what are your plans, now that the war is over?” Parangosky directly addressed Blue, breaking her away from her transmission. It was a brunt question.  
“Oh, I’ve got much work to do,” Blue replied, purposely staying vague. She had a feeling this lady would want eyes on her, and she wanted to make her process of making High Charity disappear as easy as possible.  
“You now rule over the Covenant’s greatest asset,” Parangosky stated. “What responsibility that must be.”  
“I never work alone,” Blue replied truthfully. “I spend my time making friends, not enemies. My work isn’t done until the galaxy has its peace.”  
Parangosky frowned and turned away, not having overlooked the prod. Lord Hood didn’t notice the tension, on his sixth drink.  
“I’ll have to stop it there,” he said to the bartender when he approached. “I deserve a break, but not too much of one.”  
 _We should return to Sanghelios, if we can,_ she suggested to Aethon. _I worry about what’s going to happen next._  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	8. 2.6: Wishing for Home

2.6: Wishing for Home

It was dark, the sun far gone from the sky and nowhere near rising again. Blue climbed the steps leading to the memorial and knelt before the broken wing, eyes reading across the words etched into it.  
IN MEMORY OF THOSE FALLEN  
IN THE DEFENSE OF EARTH  
AND HER COLONIES  
MARCH 3, 2553  
She knelt, feet out behind her, tops resting against the ground. She extended her wings, letting them drape behind her, covering her legs and tail. It reached the edge of the stairs, black membranes forming a cloak that seemed to be made from the same fabric as the night sky. She tilted her head back, eyes searching the sky for the stars.  
It was so quiet. There was nothing around but the sound of the wind.  
She could almost imagine the black tiger detaching himself from the dark sky, tumbling down to earth, laughing, plowing into the dirt dramatically. She could see his red eyes gleaming brightly as he proclaimed his valiant story of survival, racing through some exploding structure filled with exaggerated dangers. She could imagine the Chief hopping off his back, adding to their fantastic survival story. Cortana’s voice would be interspaced with his, joyful. BTS would declare them ‘bros for life’ or something else cheesy like that, and then they’d go their separate ways to inform everyone they weren’t dead.  
Nothing in the sky moved. Sadness bubbled up in her chest and she shut her eyes tightly.  
The old lyrics came to her like echoes and she found herself humming them, lost in whatever they meant to her. The song was in Lupine, a language that was usually rough and growly. In lyrics, the words were smoothed out, low and sad.  
There were footsteps behind her.  
“Lord Hood,” she greeted the man, surprised to see him still out at this late hour.  
“I was passing below the hill, and heard you,” he told her. “I can’t sleep this soon after that many drinks.” He paused. “You have a decent voice. Though I have no idea what language that was.”  
Blue nodded gratefully. “Thank you. It was Lupine, my native tongue.”  
He looked away, and didn’t speak for a while. “You believe they’re all alive still, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.  
“I don’t know,” the draconic replied honestly, heart heavy. “But I won’t stop searching until I have proof, or until I am unable to search any longer.”  
“I hope you find them,” he told her. “If anyone can...I guess you’re the most capable.”  
“I hope, when I find them, they have a better place to return to,” she replied quietly. “A better place for all, not just one.” She paused, letting the words echo about. “I did not realize how divided your people were before I came here. I can only hope for the best, and provide all the help I can. I am here, if I am needed.”  
“I’m grateful for that offer,” Lord Hood said after a pause. “I hope for the same.”  
Blue nodded, and tilted her head back to the sky. “Peace for all…”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Back aboard High Charity, Blue sat in Aethon’s cabin, brooding. She’d just dismissed one of the Jiralhanae, who had come to the ship after someone had shot him in the back with a plasma rifle. His shields had taken the shot, saving him, and he had escaped without knowing what had happened. The aggressor was unknown, but had acted with subterfuge, attacking while the victim was leaving the bathroom. Usually, the station’s seven Jiralhanae travelled together, for safety. The bathroom was practically the only place they were alone.  
“He was so brave. I offered him three days’ off, to recover, but he refused,” Aethon reported. “He didn’t want to seem afraid.”  
“I’ll have to scan through everyone’s minds for the memory of the action,” Blue replied, rubbing her temples in anticipation of the hard work ahead. “I’ll find whoever did this…”  
A slight tremor passed through the ship; High Charity must have entered slipspace again. The draconic had ordered the station through a very complicated series of slipspace jumps, to try and shake anything tailing them. She had also ordered a thorough search and scanning of every ship in attendance, and the station itself. They were searching for probes, bugs, signals, anything that could be of ONI origin. Subtly, of course. Only a few people knew about her suspicions.  
 _Oh, if only the hyperspace drives were built and working…_  
All of the station’s ships had docked for search, and to sit out the jumps to ensure they all ended up in the same place. With the complicated pattern Blue had laid out, it would be easy for a ship to get lost by accident.  
“Oh, this makes me so mad,” the draconic growled, balling up her fists. “Why would this lady go against everything the UNSC is trying to do, and create war between people who just want peace?”  
“Personal belief?” Aethon suggested. “Morals? Fears? There is always a reason, even convoluted. And, well, not all of them want peace.”  
“I know,” Blue muttered glumly. “I will not see that her plans succeed. The Arbiter will not be toppled. His control over Sanghelios ensures the maintenance of this fragile cease-fire.”  
Once High Charity had completed its set of evasive slipspace jumps, and everything had been thoroughly checked for ONI intrusion, she would ask the Arbiter for permission to jump to Sanghelios.  
“There was a fight between a handful of Kig-Yar and Unggoy, the Jiralhanae was attacked, ONI is doing secret things that the UNSC doesn’t know about, and the goals of the two completely contradict each other,” she continued to mutter. “And ONI is trying to create war between Sangheili factions. Things have been going so well, up until now. I guess I cannot be surprised; our luck couldn’t last forever.”  
“I have faith,” Aethon said optimistically. “We are stronger together. We have achieved great things in only a few months.” His voice turned upbeat. “Already, we have a group of Kig-Yar pirate lordesses interested in meeting with us, to discuss terms of our relationship. Within the next few days, we will meet, and I believe discussions will go well. High Charity’s Brood Mother is optimistic, as I am. And in the days after that, we will begin to produce our own food!”  
Blue nodded, feeling a bit cheered up. “Within the month, the new training program for skilled Unggoy will begin. And within the year, the Kig-Yar living quarters will be completed, and the matriarchs will begin to be able to raise clutches again.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I must continue to work on finding a stand-in for myself…”  
“This is just a bump in the long road,” Aethon told her reassuringly.  
Blue chuckled. “Of course. I have lived too long to let worry drag me down. I have work to do! Speaking of such, I must be off. Thank you for your reports, dear Aethon.”  
“Of course,” the ship replied happily. “I’ll speak with you soon, Blue.”  
She nodded, walking towards the hatch that led to the exterior of the ship. “I must be off...I have an important request to make of the Arbiter. What an adventure this will be...”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“We’re cleared to enter Sanghelios orbit,” Blue reported to the joint Council of Masters and Civility. “We will make for the planet immediately.”  
“Agreed!” Fleetmaster ‘Tusam lifted his fist passionately. “We will lay eyes once again upon the blessed slopes and seas of our beloved homeland!”  
Blue inclined her head. She had yet to tell anyone the specifics of Kilo-Five, so they were in good spirits. She wasn’t sure how to do it - she didn’t want to do anything that would get her incriminated for spying.  
“I will oversee the preparations,” the Councilor of Unity declared. “We will go swift as the stars.”  
“All ships must jump with us, but do not have to be docked,” Blue ordered. The last of the fleet had just left the docks, clean of any ONI spying materials.  
They’d found no evidence of anything, but Aethon had detected something following them through slipspace. Whatever it had been, it had been autonomous, and appeared to have been lost by the fifth slipspace jump.  
She had explained her worry of intrusion to justify the jumps and the searches. She hadn’t encountered much opposition, Sangheili and San’Shyuum more than glad to still maintain a degree of distrust towards the humans. With the right moves and information, Blue could isolate that distrust to only ONI. That would be optimal, but not easy.  
‘Ayanam invited her to take a walk with him after the meeting, along the hanging gardens between the station’s tall towers. She gladly accepted, hoping to get away from the stress of the situation for a bit.  
“How was the memorial?” he asked. “I trust everything went well with the humans? No one disrespected you?”  
“Oh, it went fine,” Blue replied amiably. “Nobody had the guts to say anything to my face that wasn’t positive, that was for sure. Though I’d be lying if I said everyone wanted me there.” She grinned. “And I enjoyed their ‘measly human architecture’ or whatever it was you called it.”  
“You returned from that place to tell us to be wary of intrusion,” ‘Ayanam noted, ignoring her jab. “You must have experienced something troubling while you were on that planet to justify such a thing.”  
Blue sighed quietly, and nodded. “As I said, I’d be lying if I said everyone wanted me there.” She really didn’t want to say anything about ONI, not yet, not even to ‘Ayanam, who always seemed to hear her secrets before anyone else did. “Some people were not friendly. Their government, their lands, their people are broken, as are we. The last thing I want is one broken nation using their turmoil to bring others down.” She looked up at him, eyes grave. “Do you know how many of their people you killed? How many planets you burned?”  
He nodded. “I have an idea of the numbers. But you do not need to tell me them; I understand the hate they justly hold for us. I understand the hate some of my people continue to hold yet, as well. They killed droves of us too.”  
They stopped in the middle of the hanging walkway, ‘Ayanam grasping the railing as he looked across the lights of the city. Blue stood next to him, arms crossed resolutely.  
“You know who got the worse end of the deal, though,” she said.  
He nodded. “Of course I do.”  
They stood in silence following his words, the shipmaster gazing over the city while Blue dipped her head, tucking her chin to her chest. She shut her eyes tiredly.  
“I am excited to see my home planet again,” ‘Ayanam said quietly, changing the subject. “I have not been there for what feels like lifetimes.”  
“You were born in Sanghelios?” Blue questioned.  
He nodded. “I was born in the region of Iruiru, on the edge of the state of Vadam. My ancestors built the keep within the cliffs that soared above a gorge, a warren of tunnels and outcrops easily defended. With the ancient arrival of more families, the keep was expanded aboveground. The underground portions are now used solely for storage and emergency, which I prefer. I cannot imagine living within those dark tunnels.”  
“It sounds nice,” Blue commented. “I’m not familiar with how Sangheili families and residences work, though. Does only your family live there?” The place he described had sounded large. Perhaps he had a large family?  
He shook his head. “At first, yes. Now, there are more. Not many, mind you. Our keep is no city. And, ‘Ayanam is no longer the ruling name.” There was a trace of sadness in his voice.  
“Why would that be?” Blue asked. “If it is a tale you are willing to tell.”  
“Many years ago, before I was born, my grandmother, my father’s mother, and her husband ruled the keep,” he began. “They were well-respected, honorable people. My grandmother had many children, many of which went to fight for the Covenant, to bring honor to the keep. My aunts still live behind the walls, as does my grandmother. But my grandfather, so they tell me, died suddenly, after the hatching of his eighth child. After that, my grandmother was never the same. None of her sons were readily available to take over the rule of the keep, nor were her brothers, or her husband’s brothers. They were all dead, off fighting in the war, or lived elsewhere, with obligations too big to leave behind at the moment. Except one; her eighth child. But my grandmother did not do the customary, to wait for him to grow, or for one of her other sons or brothers to return from war. Wrought with remorse, she ceded rule to my grandfather’s best friend, Thresh ‘Riquan.”  
He shut his eyes, as if remembering the day, though that was impossible, since it was long before he was born. “They were kind to us, and let us remain in the keep with them, instead of ordering us to leave and build ourselves a new home. They are not bad people; they are honorable and brave. It is just sorrowing to think of my ancient home no longer being mine.”  
“I’m sorry,” Blue said after a pause. “That does sound terrible.”  
“It does not bother me as much anymore,” ‘Ayanam grumbled. “What I am tired of is people’s pity. Pity for my family, for my grandmother, for my aunts, for me. I am tired of it. We are not weak because we gave up our rule. It was the right choice, for the health of my grandmother and the health of the keep. She still had young children to raise.”  
“I understand that,” Blue replied. “Allow me to withdraw any pity you perceived I gave; it was unintentional.”  
‘Ayanam shifted his feet, removing his hands from the railing and standing up straighter. “You are not like the others. I perceived no pity in your voice, only empathy.” He looked down at her, amber eyes flashing. “I had expected you would understand.”  
Blue shrugged, leaning on the railing. “When you’re as old as I am, you’ve seen and done enough to understand practically everything.”  
‘Ayanam looked away. “Blue, would you like to meet my family?”  
She started, looking up. “I...I would love to. When we get to Sanghelios, if everything seems to be at peace, and will stay that way for a good period of time, I was planning on giving the Sangheili on the station shore leave. I can leave Aethon in charge here and come with you to shore.”  
‘Ayanam nodded. “I am thankful for that. I have not seen my family for a very long time...I miss the comfort of their presence, and I would like to know that they are safe. Things have never been the most stable since my grandmother ceded control of the keep to Thresh.”  
“Does he still rule?” Blue asked.  
“No,” ‘Ayanam replied. “He was recently succeeded by his eldest son, Kria. As the elder of the keep, he is extraordinarily busy, so you might not see him, in day-to-day life. However, since you are no regular visitor, I suspect he will want to meet you. I will be glad to run you over our customs of respect, so you do not offend him.”  
“Is he easily offended?” Blue asked, slightly concerned.  
“Somewhat,” ‘Ayanam admitted. “He is not the same person as his father was.”  
“I have dealt with enough short-tempered people to know the ways,” Blue chuckled, thinking of the rage of some of her more short-tempered coworkers in the AP. Her secret past life. “I would be happy to accept your advice, though.”  
“It is settled, then,” ‘Ayanam declared. “My family will be honored to meet you. I will send word to them to prepare the home to be worthy of your presence.”  
“Don’t sweat over it,” Blue asked, not wanting to be intrusive. “Nothing will please me more than to see your home and your family how it is every day, in whatever glory it holds. I need no fanfare or bouquets.”  
“You will be honored, as you deserve,” ‘Ayanam told her. A hint of humor crept into his voice. “Whether you like it or not, Ascendant. This family has enough troubles; I will not add dishonoring a prominent leader to the list.”  
Blue smiled. “Alright, alright. Do as you will; I’ll deal with it. Just don’t break the bank, alright?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	9. 2.7: The Farmhouse Pt. 1

2.7: The Farmhouse Pt. 1

Blue was standing in High Charity’s bridge, where she liked to be whenever the station made a jump or was coming to the end of one. And this jump was almost over, projecting them into space high above the surface of Sanghelios.  
High Charity’s flight crew consisted of San’Shyuum and Sangheili from the Ministry of Defense, including the Minister himself. Blue could act as the designated “shipmaster”, but was usually represented by one of the Sangheili (who was an actual shipmaster and knew a lot more about piloting the massive station) while she was attending other duties.  
“Prepare to hail the planet,” the Minister of Defense ordered. Blue, standing up on her command platform with her arms crossed over her chest, let him do his work.  
The station exited slipspace, and the planet appeared before them, a surface of bright blues, greens, and browns, covered by white clouds and towering grey peaks. The rest of High Charity’s ships dropped back to the physical realm, gathering protectively around the station. They were not alone; three Kig-Yar pirate fleets were flying with them, the pirates currently parlaying with the Ministry of Piracy over terms of hire.  
“Aethon, perform a scan of the surrounding area for propulsion signatures,” Blue ordered her ship. She wanted to make sure nobody had followed them.  
“Scan in progress,” Aethon replied over the intercom.  
“Hailing the planet,” the San’Shyuum working at the signal relay reported. Blue watched the outgoing message flash across one of the holographic screens in front of her; from here, she could create direct connections to receivers in range, and she was getting plenty of hits from locations on or near the surface. The message sped for the receivers at the ‘Vadam keep.  
“Blue, I’m detecting strange energy signatures from orbit, heading to the planet,” Aethon reported. “It’s not like anything I’ve seen before. Highly reduced thruster signatures and particle output. Analysis of these energetic residues may lead to further conclusions.”  
“Direct me,” Blue ordered. Aethon passed her the coordinates to where he was sensing these emissions.  
Blue shut her eyes and let her mind wander across space. She followed the coordinates to the surface, where Aethon said the energy signatures had stopped. Sure enough, she could sense the energy left behind in the wake of whatever had flown through here.  
“Energy output would seem to match a small, harmless craft,” she said. “But something isn’t right here. I don’t detect anything that would point to a Covenant-class ship having produced this.”  
“I detect no quantum fluctuations,” Aethon agreed. “Whatever landed on the surface is, by my best guess, a high-order stealth vehicle. And it’s not using stealth systems that match my knowledge of Covenant ships.”  
“Which means the Arbiter might not know it’s here,” Blue concluded, concern growing. “I’m going down to investigate. Aethon, remain here to oversee communications with the Arbiter. Something is brewing.”  
“All defensive systems on high alert!” the Minister of Defense ordered. “Sensors online; monitor the surface! We will find out what’s hiding down there!”  
 _I have a bad feeling about this._  
“Will you require an escort?” Defense asked in his reedy voice.  
“No, but I would like a team to be ready at any moment, in case I need backup,” she replied. Her plan currently relied on her own stealth; she wanted to sneak around and find her some answers.  
With High Charity successfully in orbit, her fleet gathered around her, she felt it was safe to exit the station. Before she went, she sent around one, final order, ordering all ships with camouflage to put it up. She wanted to hide how many ships she had, and hide the Kig-Yar pirates as well.  
 _We will be awaiting your orders,_ Fleetmaster ‘Tusam called to her. _If you require assistance, I will send help._  
Blue exited the station through an airlock near the top, used for smaller craft like Phantoms. She jumped into space, thrusters firing, and sped for the planet.  
Heat rushed around her as she cut through the atmosphere, of no bother to her. The heat fed her energies just like the rays of stars did, and Sanghelios had three of those. Never before had she encountered three stars this close, all within range of her limited reach. Energy flowed through her, a triple dose of power.  
As she neared the surface, she spread her wings, shutting off her thrusters. Her supercloak activated, hiding her from detection.  
The strange emissions led down to a landing zone, which appeared to be empty at first. She switched the lenses of her left eye to snake-glass, and picked up a faint thermal signal, almost nonexistent, completely blending into the natural environment.  
She could see something on the landing pad, though whatever it was did a great job of passively blending into the surroundings. From around sixty feet up, she couldn’t tell what kind of ship it was, if it even was a ship. Visible light, nor heat vision, gave her anything to work with.  
She switched the lense to echo-glass, and soundwaves rippled across her vision. She narrowed her eyes, focusing in on the landing pad, and screeched, high-pitched soundwaves cutting across her vision as the sound flung itself towards the ground.  
The soundwaves crashed into something and rippled across the surface of a much larger object than such a faint thermal signature would usually belong to.  
 _That’s not what I was hoping to see!_  
The screech had made noise, albeit too high for most creatures to hear, once it had left the range of her supercloak, so she quickly moved away, going to ground on the edge of the landing pad. At a closer distance, she could tell the vehicle was a UNSC-style ship, though not one she’d encountered before.  
 _Port Stanley?_ She reached her mind out towards the ship.  
 _Serin Osman._ Parangosky’s pet was aboard the ship. And she was communicating with someone.  
 _They have sent a Pelican to Ontom, to rescue their scientist, the one who went missing. But he’s not at Ontom anymore. They were having trouble with Sangheili mobs. There was a Jiralhanae uprising in the city; some of the servants bombed public areas. They’re en-route to “Acroli”. The shipboard AI located the scientist._  
Blue had no idea where Acroli was, but Osman did. Blue extracted the coordinates and jumped into the air, wings spreading.  
 _I need to find out what they’re up to._  
She relayed a message to Aethon, telling him it was exactly what she had been worried about. _I bet that scientist is here to try and find more weaknesses in Sangheili culture and customs that they can exploit…_  
Acroli was not close, even by driving standards. Blue winged her way towards the craggy hills, eyes narrowed against the wind. Judging by Osman’s communications, she wouldn’t be able to get to the location before Kilo-Five did.  
She soared over the craggy line of hills, feeling updrafts from the sun-warmed stone gather beneath her wings. The sun hit her back, but she cast no shadow on the ground, her supercloak bending light around her, continuing the rays towards the earth.  
She activated her thrusters, speed increasing. _I can spare the power usage...three suns charges me fast enough to keep me near to full._  
Now, she had a chance of getting to the location with a better chance of actually encountering the black ops team.  
She let the updrafts lift her, and fell off their edge, gathering even more speed as she dipped downwards. Her wings adjusted her flight, and she stabilized at an altitude of around thirty feet, close enough to the ground to see the figures of male Kig-Yar working in the fields, harvesting what appeared to be some wheat-like plant.  
As she drew closer to her destination, she picked up the emissions signature of a Pelican, not far off. The smell of smoke also reached her nose.  
 _Uh oh..._  
She crested a hill and spotted a lone farmhouse across the fields. One of the fields was on fire, the source of the smoke, as well as the wreckage of a town beyond. What she was more worried about was the Pelican hovering next to the farmhouse.  
She reached out her mind. The scientist was in there, along with Kilo-Five, minus Osman, who was still aboard the Port Stanley. They weren’t alone; there were numerous Sangheili inside the farmhouse as well. Seventeen, it seemed, and two Unggoy.  
 _They’re under attack!_ Blue could also sense more Sangheili beyond the farmhouse, regrouping for another strike behind a series of low stone walls and smaller buildings. They’d been driven back by Kilo-Five, for the moment.  
The Sangheili in the farmhouse were losing the battle. With a start, Blue realized they were all females and younglings.  
She stopped about fifty feet from the house, hovering. One of the team emerged from the battered building, dragging the scientist by the arm. One of the entrenched Sangheili fired at them, and they dropped, sheltering back to the farmhouse.  
At that moment, Blue felt the air ripple and a Phantom dropship passed overhead. She tensed, waiting for them to fire.  
But the Phantom didn’t attack. Blue cocked her head, and sensed a wireless communication pass between the ship and the team in the farmhouse.  
 _Allies?_ She moved closer to the ship, mind listening in to the conversation.  
“Stand down, traitors. Shipmaster Forze ‘Mdama demands it,” the Phantom was saying.  
 _Forze ‘Mdama?_ Blue narrowed her eyes. ‘Mdama was the name of the Sangheili being held on Trevelyan.  
Banshees suddenly zipped into view, and more fire was exchanged between the farmhouse and the entrenched Sangheili. The Phantom fired, blowing one of the Banshees out of the sky. The Sangheili on the ground were moving, forming into four groups, possibly for another rush at the house.  
 _It won’t stand. Those women and children will be slaughtered!_ Possibly Kilo-Five with them; but if the Phantom was actually working with the team, together with the Pelican they could most likely hold off the group troops.  
Another Banshee spiraled to the ground and exploded. The Phantom made to pass over the farmhouse again, and Blue intercepted another radio call.  
“Human vessel, get out of the area.”  
One of the Sangheili groups charged, crashing into the door of the farmhouse. Gun and plasma fire ripped through the building. The Pelican edged closer; Blue did as well.  
The weapons fire paused momentarily; a grenade ploncked to the ground outside the door. The attacking Sangheili ran for cover, the explosion shrouding some of them and sending others flying through the air, shields drained. Monitoring the interior of the house, it seemed that the group that had managed to get inside had been repressed, the rest chased off by the grenade.  
The last Banshee shrieked by, and Blue saw fire blossom around the tail of the Pelican. It remained upright, the damage appearing to be superficial. She still hung back, knowing interference could put a target on her and her nation she currently didn’t want to deal with.  
An even larger explosion occurred outside the farmhouse, and a big crater was left in its wake. Moments later, the human team ran from the building, a Spartan out front, carrying the semiconscious scientist under one arm. The group ran across the crater and jumped into the Pelican.  
 _They’re not going to help them?_ Blue sensed the fear rising in those trapped in the farmhouse as the Pelican turned and left. She reached her mind back to ‘Tusam. _I’m going to need backup, just a small fleet. I’ve got females and younglings in siege, trapped in a farmhouse. I’m going to extract them._  
The Pelican, followed by the Phantom, rocketed away over the horizon. Blue reached over her back and drew her earthshaker as the rest of the sieging Sangheili rose and charged for the farmhouse.  
She dove, folding her wings, holding the earthshaker out in front of her. Right above the ground, she snapped her wings open, feet kicking out. She fired a suppressive burst of energy into the ground as the tip of her weapon entered the dirt. The shockwave emanating from the point of impact drove charging Sangheili back, closest individuals lifted right off their feet and thrown away. Her feet planted on either side of the weapon and her wings spread wide, twenty-one feet of blackness easily covering the entire front of the farmhouse. She dropped her supercloak and let out a commanding roar that rattled the farmhouse’s timbers.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	10. 2.8: The Farmhouse Pt.2

2.8: The Farmhouse Pt. 2

“Stand DOWN!” she thundered, deafening sound causing the Sangheili nearest to her to cry out and clutch their ears. “There are females and younglings inside this house!”  
“Ascendant!” the attackers drew back in surprise, lowering their weapons. Blue pulled her earthshaker from the ground, hefting it angrily. The Sangheili around her made no move to attack, seeming to want no argument with her.  
“What is the meaning of this nonsense, attacking women and children?” she snarled. “State your name and keep at this moment!”  
Their elder, who Blue had already identified by his combat harness , stepped forwards. “I am Gier ‘Acroli, elder of the Lacalu keep. Those individuals behind you are members of the Nes’alun keep, sworn enemies of the Arbiter and supporters of the Servants of Abiding Truth!”  
So they were enemies. But that wasn’t the reason; she could read his mind easily enough. Blue curled her lips away from her teeth, narrowing her eyes. “Do not lie to me, Gier ‘Acroli. You want their land, so you attack them at when they are weakest, when there are only females and younglings here to defend. And you shed no tears over their innocent blood.”  
Gier didn’t seem rebuffed, but his eyes betrayed his nerves. “They are not innocent, Ascendant. They are enemies!”  
“Children!” Blue barked sharply. “Children too young to fully understand the concept of war. Children too young to fight and win. How can you call them your enemies, when they can’t even understand why you call them that?”  
Gier looked away, knowing he couldn’t win this argument. “The Arbiter respects you, Ascendant, and thus so do I. But you cannot expect us to turn our backs on our enemies and walk away. This war involves all.”  
“Remove your men,” the draconic ordered curtly.  
Gier nodded, and called his men back with a wave of his hand. Blue turned over her shoulder, eyes piercing into the dusty interior of the farmhouse. She could see the Sangheili behind her, crouching in the shadows. She counted ten females and six younglings.  
 _Where’s the seventeenth?_  
The seventeenth was in the back, under the care of the two Unggoy; a Sangheili childling barely old enough to walk.  
She’d put a lot of faith in these women to not shoot her in the back, though she doubted they could do much actual damage to her with the weapons they had. An overcharged pistol shot would sting, but it would take a whole barrage of them before she was actually worried.  
“Lady Elar ‘Nas,” she greeted the tallest Sangheili, who she’d already identified as the leader of the group, and wife to the elder of the keep.  
“Ascendant,” Elar replied curtly. Blue could tell she thought of her as the enemy, since she was an ally of the Arbiter. But seeing that the Ascendant was probably here to save their lives, she maintained a basic mode of respect.  
Blue stepped through the doorway of the home, which was now nothing more than a shattered opening in the wall. The younglings stared at her with wide eyes.  
“The Lacalu are after your land,” the draconic told them curtly, “and they will use the excuse of this war to achieve it. I cannot stop them, being their ally. I can only ask that you act in the best interests of the people here, and surrender your keep.”  
“What dishonor I will not commit!” Elar spat angrily, eyes narrowing. “This is my home, and I will defend it until our husbands come home, having defeated the Arbiter. Then, they will chase these Lacalu cowards back to their keep!”  
“The Arbiter will not be defeated,” Blue replied flatly. “Not while I am here.” She pointed into the sky. “I am the master of High Charity and all her ships. Whatever power your Servants can whip up, I can match and overcome. Your forces will not be victorious. If you are lucky, maybe a few of your husbands will return. If you stay here, they will return to nothing.”  
“They will return to dishonor if I do not,” Elar replied angrily. “They will leave us, ashamed of our cowardice. Better to die a warrior’s death than languish as prisoners!”  
Blue drew her lips back over her teeth. “Is your honor really worth that much to you? Worth the lives of your children?”  
That hit home. Many of the other female Sangheili looked away, looked down, some even edging nervously towards their offspring. The two Unggoy with the childling held him nervously.  
Elar looked away, unable to form an argument. These people were her sisters, her family. They meant so much to her.  
“I have another compromise,” Blue lowered her voice. “Come with me, back to High Charity. I have an extraction ship on the way. There, you will not be prisoners. Your children will not grow up in shame, but will learn and grow under the guidance of this galaxy’s greatest teachers. And, if I can manage it, I will convince your husbands to return to you, and put aside their warring ways. I will give you a home, a safe home, that nobody can ever take from you.”  
Elar’s eyes narrowed. “You lie. You will take us prisoner.”  
Blue shook her head. “I will not. Yes, I will have to take some precautions to prevent you from hurting anyone, if I see that intent in your mind, but you will not be prisoners. You will be well fed, cared for, provided with good living spaces. Your children will be educated just as everyone else on the station is. Once you prove yourself trustworthy, you will be allowed all the rights of a true citizen of High Charity. I promise this, on my honor.”  
She could sense how afraid the Sangheili were. If they stayed, they would die, all of them. But honor bound them to fight. But how could they willingly doom their children, who they cared about so much, to this fate?  
“Take the younglings,” Elar finally spoke. “Take them to where they will be safe. Anyone who wants to go with them can do so. I will stay here and defend my keep.” Her voice was harsh.  
Blue inclined her head. “Are you sure, my lady? There is room aboard for all.”  
Elar nodded firmly. “This is my duty, as lady of the keep. I must defend it.”  
Her heart was grave, but Blue knew there was no convincing her. She nodded in acceptance.  
“My ship approaches,” she said, hearing the rumble of a battlecruiser coming over the horizon. “Prepare to board; leave your weapons behind.”  
Many of the Sangheili did not seem eager to drop their weapons, but the draconic’s eyes glinted like cold diamonds, warning them of what would happen if they did not comply. They would be left behind, to die, separated from their children.  
The shadow of the battlecruiser fell over the farmhouse. Blue could hear the sound of three other escort ships, though the fighting had ceased, so their presence was unnecessary.  
“Shipmaster ‘Mahom to Blue,” the voice was a familiar one, of the once-High Councilor. He had returned to the front lines following the dissolution of the Five, and now served as one of Fleetmaster ‘Tusam’s accomplices to the Council of the Ascendant. He wanted to get away from politics, but not that far away.  
“I read,” Blue replied. “I’m coming out of the farmhouse with the females and younglings. Be prepared to provide covering fire, if the Lacalu attack while we’re in the open.”  
The Lacalu, however, had scurried off over the hills, scared away by the ships drifting towards them. Blue hoped they would stay away for good, or at least until Elar could escape. But maybe it was hopeless, hoping that she would.  
She looked back at the group. “Follow me, please.”  
They walked out of the shattered door, descending into the large crater left by Kilo-Five’s Pelican. The battlecruiser was hovering overhead, and turned on its gravity lift.  
“How’s the ship life serving you, Shipmaster?” Blue asked as she walked. She hadn’t gotten much of a chance to talk to ‘Mahom since they reorganized their government and he had stepped down from Councilorship.  
“Very well, thank you,” ‘Mahom replied. “I am very glad we finally got this ship repaired and out of the docks. She is running beautifully.”  
“I’ll be even happier when the assault carrier does the same,” the draconic chuckled. “What I would give for a pair of Huragok right now!” The assault carrier Eternal Reward (in the process of being renamed) had barely survived the Schism, and had been docked for repairs ever since. The damages were so great that the Yanme’e couldn’t fix most of them, and without BTS, only Aethon and Blue were around to repair the hull and systems damage (the Sangheili knew jack shit when it came to repairing things because of the we-no-touchee-le-holee-objects-ee policy the Covenant had).  
“Indeed,” ‘Mahom agreed. “Fleetmaster ‘Tusam cannot wait to take command of her as our permanent flagship. It will be a blessing to see her in the sky again!”  
Blue stopped at the edge of the gravity lift, gesturing for the Sangheili to go first. Her eyes scanned the group; she had all six younglings, plus the two Unggoy with the childling. Four of the women had come as well.  
The first youngling entered the lift; Blue walked over to the Unggoy with the childling, and knelt. “Where is his mother?” she asked quietly.  
“Dead,” the Unggoy replied. “Died while running here. Died protecting lil’ babe.”  
Blue nodded gravely. “I’m sorry. Do you know his name?”  
They shook their little heads. “Nope.”  
She looked at the four females. “Do you?”  
They all looked at each other and shrugged. “He is Reina’s child, just a week from the shell. She did not have the moment to tell us his name.”  
Blue nodded. “He will need one. I will find a mother for him, if one of you will not take him.”  
The females all looked at each other again, and Blue sensed the communal thoughts they all shared, sisters thinking alike. “We are shamed beings now, abandoning our keep. He should not grow up as our child, and bear that shame,” one of them finally said. “Find him another mother, who will save him from this dishonor.”  
Blue nodded. “I will respect that.” _But where am I going to get another female Sangheili, aboard High Charity?_  
The five women entered the gravity lift, leaving Blue and the two Unggoy. She looked down at them.  
“You got him?” she asked.  
“Uh, me not good with kids,” the first one told her.  
“Me neither,” the one holding the childling said. “Maybe you take him.” He held out the small creature.  
“Alright,” Blue agreed, and knelt, taking the childling from them. He stared up at her with big, scared eyes.  
“It’s alright,” she hummed, cradling him. “You are safe now.” _Uh, what do I do with this now?_  
She stepped into the gravity lift and rose, nose pointed to the sky. The two Unggoy scurried after her, not wanting to get left behind.  
The lift shut off after they were all safely aboard, the ship returning to motion. The dragonic nodded to the crew in the room; they were seeing the rescued Sangheili to a more comfortable place for the ride back to High Charity. She didn’t go with them, but made for the bridge of the ship.  
She entered the control room, spotting ‘Mahom high up on his command platform. He spotted her carrying the childling and did a double take.  
“Where did you get that?” he asked incredulously, pointing.  
“His mother was killed,” Blue replied. “None of the women want to adopt him, since they are now marked by the shame of abandoning their keep. They say he will be better off under another mother.”  
“I do not know where you’re going to find another mother aboard High Charity,” ‘Mahom snorted. “Unless you want to give him to the Kig-Yar broods or the Unggoy families!”  
Blue was slowly thinking of a better idea. “I’ll figure something out.”  
“You will not have much time,” ‘Mahom warned. “We have been receiving transmissions from the Arbiter. There are troops approaching his keep with intent to attack. By now, the fighting has begun.”  
“Well, has the Arbiter asked for help?” the draconic questioned.  
‘Mahom shook his head. “Not yet. It is unknown how well-matched he is with his enemy.”  
“We will give him a grace period, and then send reinforcements,” Blue decided on the spot. “The quicker and easier this fight, the better. And I am sure he will not be insulted by an offer of assistance.” _Especially since Kilo-Five has been giving the Servants weapons and supplies!_  
She looked down at the Sangheili childling, who had stretched his neck out and was looking around the command deck with great interest in his little eyes. Blue hummed to him; he looked back to her and chirruped.  
“He’s preverbal,” ‘Mahom called from his command platform. “Do you know how old he is?”  
“The women said a week from the shell,” the draconic replied. “I’m not at all versed in Sangheili childling development, though.”  
“Well, neither am I,” ‘Mahom snorted. “I never met any of my kids.”  
Blue looked up at him. “Hmm? Why?”  
“It is customary that Sangheili children never know their fathers,” ‘Mahom explained. “It fosters loyalty to the keep rather than to the family. Children are raised by their mothers, sometimes, but often the work is split equally between aunts and uncles. Children are raised in a communal environment by all the adults. Because I was always away in the war, I never participated in such activities.”  
“Oh,” Blue replied. She looked down, at the childling, who was off looking at all the shiny things again, from the safety of her arms. “I can see the logic in that.” It was a style of parenting, though, that she had yet to run into, and wasn’t sure what to think about it.  
“Hence, most males know very little about the intricacies of raising a child,” ‘Mahom explained. “We know how to train them, how to teach them, but that is only once they are of an age older than this.”  
Blue could guess that, by convergent evolutionary patterns, Sangheili children were probably mobile only a few hours from the shell, like the offspring of most egg-laying creatures. This child had hard, protective scales running down the back of his neck, which Blue had never seen on any other individual.  
“Do you know what’s with these scale plates?” she asked.  
‘Mahom looked back to her once he was finished giving orders to his flight crew. He narrowed his orange eyes, squinting to see the child better. “Oh, those will fall off after some years. They are an evolutionary holdover from ancient times. They served as protection, and as a way for Sangheili adults to carry their children in their mouths when moving quickly.”  
The mental image of a modern Sangheili running around with a child in its mouth made Blue chuckle internally and smile. The child lifted his hands and grabbed at her nose.  
“Oh!” she drew her head back, chuckling out loud. “Your reactions are much better than that of a Lupine infant…”  
She really hoped Yalar could help her. She had no idea what she was doing. But at least now, the childling was safe.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	11. 2.9: Battle for 'Vadam Pt. 1

2.9: Battle for ‘Vadam Pt. 1

“Thank you so much,” Blue said hurriedly, handing over the child to Yalar. She accepted him willingly, taking him gently into her arms. Her own child was in a carrier strapped to her gravity chair.  
“I will watch over the little one until you return from battle,” the San’Shyuum promised. “My aide will help as well; she is young but careful. I am sure he is a handful, even this young!”  
At a week out of the shell, the childling could walk on his own, and quite well. Once he’d gotten over his fright, he’d jumped right out of Blue’s arms and tried to run over to one of the flight crew, entranced by the shimmering holographs on the display in front of him. A handful indeed!  
“I’m going to find out how to raise this little guy,” the draconic promised. “I won’t ask you to care for two infants at once.”  
“Do not worry!” Yalar urged. “My vice minister can cover my duties for a few days until we figure something out. Go! He is in good hands.”  
Blue nodded, eyes a mix of grateful and worried, and ran from Yalar’s apartment. She dove through her open window, wings snapping open, and soared into the city.  
Everything below her was moving. People were running left and right, grabbing armor, weapons, friends, and heading for the ships. High Charity’s personal defenses were online, overseen by the watchful eye of the Minister of Defense and the city’s personal flight crew.  
“All personnel report to your superiors for assignments,” the PA system throughout the city boomed. “Repeat: all personnel report to your superiors for assignments.”  
Aethon was outside the city, having exited through an airlock near the top. He was darting between ships, ferrying crew along with the Spirits and Phantoms, when Blue emerged into space.  
 _Status!_ She called, both to him and Fleetmaster ‘Tusam.  
 _Almost ready,_ Aethon replied.  
 _We have organized into two fleets,_ ‘Tusam reported. _Ten offensive ships, as you ordered._  
‘Tusam himself would be leading the fleet into battle aboard his carrier, renamed Atonement. The ship was one of the best in the fleet at the moment, but once the assault carrier got out of the docks (if ever), that title would be transferred. Atonement was a powerful ship, but the assault carrier was twice as strong.  
 _Who’s in charge of the defense fleet?_ Blue asked.  
 _Shipmaster Vien ‘Ne’ahs,_ ‘Tusam replied.  
 _A good pick by the Minister of Defense. Hopefully we will not need his services._ An attack on High Charity itself was the last thing Blue wanted. While her ships fought, the station would shelter on the other side of the planet.  
 _I know many of us, myself included, have no hesitation flying to the Arbiter’s aid,_ ‘Tusam continued. _But there are some who believe we are overstepping ourselves. The Arbiter has not asked for our help, and it is dishonorable to not be able to fight one’s own battles.  
We do not know the full situation. The Arbiter may very well need our help, honorable or not, _Blue replied.  
 _Yes, Ascendant,_ ‘Tusam respectfully ended the conversation.  
Blue flew under Aethon; he opened the small trapdoor near his bow and she flew into it, settling just above the opening on the interior ladder.  
 _Are you sure you don’t want to come further inside?_ He asked.  
 _I’m fine out here,_ she replied. _I want to be able to move as quickly as possible. We don’t know what we’re up against._  
‘Tusam was carrying a full infantry as well, so they had ground forces ready to deploy at any moment. Aethon drew into formation with the other ships, and ‘Tusam gave the order to set off.  
High Charity shrank away behind them, eventually falling beyond the planet’s curved surface. Aethon put up his supercloak, vanishing from sight. The trapdoor below Blue’s feet closed and the atmosphere equalized.  
 _We have sensory contact. Eight ships in the area, six of them frigates. One destroyer. One cruiser. Numerous ground vehicles. Large numbers of infantry.  
They’re focusing ground forces on the keep!_ Aethon confirmed. _This is a battle of both land and air. Three frigates are within firing range of the keep.  
The keep is currently undefended in the sky, _‘Tusam reported. _The Arbiter has been caught off guard. The enemy ships might not even be necessary, with the amount of ground forces storming his walls._  
“Well, they’re about to be necessary,” Blue muttered.  
 _Still hasn’t asked for help,_ Aethon added. _He must be very confident in his defenses._  
“The Arbiter is a valiant and cunning leader,” Blue agreed. “We’ve still got a few minutes. Maybe the call will come in that time. Keep trying to make contact.”  
The front paused, ships slowing. They were still far enough away that they could turn back without anyone really noticing.  
 _No word, I fear,_ Aethon reported. _His voice was nervous. I hope something hasn’t happened to the Arbiter._  
Blue gripped the ladder tightly. “Come on…”  
Communications remained silent.  
 _Time grows short,_ ‘Tusam warned. _Ascendant, what is your word?_  
The draconic’s patience wore out. “All ships, ahead full. We’re engaging these traitorous bastards, permission or no permission.”  
Exhausts expanded; engines roared. There was no turning back now.  
 _The keep is under heavy artillery bombardment,_ Aethon reported. _Perhaps you would like to do a pass overhead, and see what we can destroy, while the ships distract each other? They’re trenched in deep._  
“Sounds good to me,” she said. “‘Tusam, we’re going to do a sweep of the artillery once we get into position. It’ll also serve as a good distraction.”  
 _Ships, adjust course to come at the enemy infantry from behind,_ ‘Tusam ordered. _We will drop troops and hit them while they are distracted. Then, we will chase away those scum aboard those frigates!_  
Aethon’s thrusters revved up, and he pulled away from the group, letting out small flashes of light beyond his supercloak, so the allied ships could track his position.  
“Let the Arbiter know reinforcements are inbound,” Blue told ‘Tusam. “Might as well make this formal, even though we’ve had nothing but radio silence so far.”  
 _It will be done._  
Aethon slowed back down to advance-pace, about a mile from the other ten ships. They were over land now, a port having receded behind them.  
 _We’ll be over the keep in less than a minute,_ Aethon reported. _More like in ten seconds.  
Wait a moment, _Blue advised. Aethon slowed to a hover. _‘Tusam?  
Awaiting reply._  
Blue clenched her hands. The Arbiter would be getting help, whether he liked it or not, but she’d rather not incite his anger (more so than she probably would already). She could see numerous infantry and vehicles moving around in the valley leading to the keep; the place was fully surrounded. It was like a castle siege from the Dark Ages.  
 _We have been cleared. All ships, get to position. Ascendant, do as you will._  
Aethon didn’t need to be told twice; Blue didn’t even have time to exhale in relief. She felt power surge through him as his engines fired, rocketing them towards the keep. He cut left, coming around, and drove towards the line of artillery. The trapdoor below her feet opened so she could see outside.  
Big holes had been blown in the stone outer walls of the keep, but the courtyards beyond looked fairly unmarred, save for some burns on the grass. The keep was a tough nut to crack.  
 _Targets acquired,_ Aethon reported.  
The plasma cannon under the ship’s belly dropped down, exterior doors folding back. Aethon’s plasma weapons - and energized plasma weapons in general - were very different from Covenant ones. They didn’t overheat, had hefty area-of-effect damage, usually were too big to be handheld, and could punch through just about anything.  
The burning heat of superheated matter seared the air, buffeting Blue as the first shot passed under Aethon’s nose. The ship swept over the artillery line, weapon firing each shot with a resonant whoosh. In order to power the weapon effectively, he dropped his supercloak, and Blue watched as some of the ground forces near to panicked at the sight of the white ship.  
 _I can initiate another sweep. They won’t get their weapons around in time to fire back at me._  
The ship blazed overhead again, plasma cannon taking out more of the front lines. Shields drained and materials boiled. Aethon targeted one artillery unit at a time, choosing to take one out completely rather than drain the shields of three. Broken, flaming pieces of artillery were thrown everywhere whenever one of the turrets exploded from having its insides cooked.  
 _They’ll be calling in their other ships now, for sure,_ Blue predicted. _‘Tusam, watch the skies.  
Ships are on approach,_ he agreed. _Four more frigates from the west. The cruiser approaches with the destroyer from behind our position. We will hold them off.  
We need to clear the infantry, _Blue said. _How are our deployments?  
Rear lines have been engaged. We caught them unawares, but they outnumber us heavily. I am deploying our own vehicles to contest them. We have engaged the three frigates, and will swiftly dispatch them. They are no match for our fleet.  
I’ll cut to the rear once we’re done up here, _Blue reported. _Keep me informed._  
The remaining artillery were getting wheeled around to take a shot at Aethon. Over the trees came two squat, purple ships Blue had never encountered before, small enough that she knew they contained only a pilot.  
 _Fighters!_ Aethon had already sensed them. He wheeled around, dodging their bursts of weapons fire. The fighters were extraordinarily maneuverable, and Blue felt one of their shots impact against Aethon’s shields.  
 _We’re exposed out here!_ He warned her. _They mean business. I had no idea the Covenant manufactured fighters!  
Neither did I, _Blue replied. She drew her earthshaker from her back and dropped through the trapdoor.  
Her wings snapped open, thrusters firing. Despite her use of energy at the Nes’alun keep, Sanghelios’ three suns had already recharged her.  
Aethon was engaging the two fighters high in the sky, spiraling around. Blue donned her supercloak and raced for the nearest one.  
It was fast and banked hard, making it difficult to follow. But she caught up with it, wings trimmed tight and constantly shifting to follow the tricky flight patterns. They flew just like jet planes, but faster and tighter. At this distance, she could see that they didn’t have shields.  
She flew closer to the fighter’s top. Aethon went into a dive, and the two ships followed.  
The fighter beneath her leveled out, chasing the larger white ship. Blue tucked her wings and curved down, towards the roof of the fighter. She drove her earthshaker point-first through the top of the cockpit, hearing the Sangheili inside cry out in surprise. She’d missed him by inches, but the explosion that emanated from the earthshaker’s tip a second after did not. The cockpit was shattered, and the fighter spiraled into the ground.  
Another explosion; Aethon had taken down the other fighter with a few good shots from his plasma cannon and dorsal energy turrets.  
Blue wanted to find ‘Telcam. If she could end him, she would end this fight, maybe even the war. He could be aboard one of the frigates, though, where she’d have trouble getting to him.  
The four extra Servant frigates had shown up, and were now hastily running away from ‘Tusam and his fleet. Reinforcements of this magnitude, this early on, had been unexpected. One of the original three frigates sailed by, overhead, on fire. It passed over the valley and crashed among the uninhabited trees, going up in a fireball.  
Return-fire blossomed from beyond the keep’s walls, and one of the attacking Wraiths went up in flames.  
 _Aethon, let’s get to the back and help our infantry,_ Blue suggested. _We’ve crippled the artillery enough that they won’t threaten the keep to nearly the same degree. The Arbiter should be able to handle it from here, for now._  
The two swept off, rocketing away over the valley. Aethon rained more plasma fire on the enemy forces as he went, leaving a line of scorch marks and glassy craters behind him.  
Their front lines were entrenched, outnumbered by the Servants. Banshees and Phantoms flew about, covering the people on the ground as they tried to advance.  
 _We’re spread thin!_ The Servants had people all the way up to the keep; Blue’s forces were still miles out.  
 _Ascendant, our infantry is making very little progress,_ ‘Tusam said to her. _I suggest we remove them or we will lose them. If the Servants turn their attentions away from the keep, we will be crushed.  
How else shall we drive the infantry off, then? _Blue questioned. _I am sure the Arbiter would not appreciate us glassing his front lawn. I have faith in the abilities of our troops. With the backup energy shields, they will be much harder to stop._  
Aethon did a pass over their front lines, helping to keep the enemy back. Blue dove for a Wraith, coming down directly on top of the driver. Her earthshaker hit energy shields, but that didn’t stop her from grabbing the driver and bodily throwing him from the vehicle.  
“The creature!” the Wraith’s gunner cursed at her, drawing a plasma pistol. Blue stabbed at him with her earthshaker, though she couldn’t quite hit him. She blocked the pistol shot with her weapon and telekinetically threw the gunner out of the vehicle.  
 _Alright…_ she wheeled the Wraith around and began to fire at the surrounding enemies, who had already noticed her intrusion and were rushing to stop her. A plasma grenade nearly ploncked onto the front of the tank.  
 _Oh right...BTS’s trick!_  
She mustered as much telekinetic energy as she could safely control (it was hard to concentrate in the heat of battle, after all) and threw it away from her, activating the grenades her enemies carried. Every grenade within thirty feet of her detonated.  
 _Whew...that takes concentration, but it works damn well._  
She fired more Wraith shots out, and exploded some more grenades. She could hear the Sangheili starting to bark to each other to throw away their grenades as swiftly as possible. Anyone who came into reach of her mind and didn’t lose the small explosives fast enough became their unfortunate victims.  
 _Where...where are you going with that tank?_ ‘Tusam sounded bewildered.  
 _Anywhere there’s enemies,_ the draconic stoically replied.  
Some of the grenades had found their way to the Wraith before Blue could get to them, and her tank was beginning to smoke. She plowed determinedly on, alone behind enemy lines.  
The Wraith didn’t quite cover all of her, and her horns stuck out the top like red flags. The tank suddenly shuddered to a halt, systems glitching. It had been EMPed by a pistol shot.  
 _I think that’s my dismissal._ She let go of the tank’s controls and jumped out the top, spreading her wings and flying into the sky, plasma shots flicking past her tail.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	12. 2.10: Battle for 'Vadam Pt. 2

2.10: Battle for ‘Vadam Pt. 2

_I’m going to do a few runs over the army, see how many grenades I can cause damage with,_ Blue told Aethon as she flew away from her abandoned Wraith.  
 _Be careful; a good shot from one of those Wraiths or something else will hurt,_ Aethon cautioned. _Everyone knows you’re here now._  
He was right, it was risky. In order to telekinetically set of an effective number of grenades, the draconic would have to be within thirty feet of the ground, and the concentration needed for the task meant she couldn’t use her supercloak. She’d have to rely on her speed to keep her ahead of enemy fire.  
She was far above the field, so far the Sangheili were dots on the ground. She narrowed her eyes, steeling her mind, and dove.  
She gathered incredible speed in the fall, sky blurring past her. Her wings snapped open and she shot like a bullet over enemy ranks, grenades going off in her wake. She didn’t catch every single one of the small explosives in her range, but she got most of them.  
 _Bank around! Another pass!_ She flew over the wrecked artillery line, flared her wings, and shot into a climb. She soared right past the outer wall of the Vadam keep, close enough to see the eyes of an Unggoy peering through a hole in the wall.  
 _Be careful!_ Aethon called to her. _They’re ready for you now!_  
The draconic turned in air and dove again, making another pass over the enemy lines. They were ready for her now, guns to the sky. She turned her supercloak on, halted her dive, and waited.  
The enemies below watched the sky where she’d vanished, fidgeting nervously. Some fired randomly into the air, chasing puffs of wind. Among the Sangheili, she spotted individuals with armor and decor that marked them as part of the Nes’alun keep.  
 _If only you knew what had become of your lands for this war…_  
She shot forwards again, dropping her supercloak to focus more energy on telekinesis. Once again, it earned her a surprise advantage, and weapons fire trailed harmlessly behind her.  
Her foes were getting smart about throwing away their grenades, but moral was also rapidly degrading. The draconic did two more passes, but picked off so few grenades she knew the word had fully passed around. The well-coordinated, strategic lines and units of infantry had dissolved into a nervous mess of panicked Unggoy and enraged Sangheili. Another one of the Servant frigates was limping away from the battle, listing strangely. The bright lights of missiles streaked across the sky, impacting the ship. It shuddered, and slowly began to fall.  
 _Well done,_ ‘Tusam congratulated her. _Our infantry is advancing against all odds. We have control of the sky, with only light damages so far._ One of their ships had been damaged into retreat, but had successfully escaped. It would return to High Charity, where more ships waited, ready to come at any moment.  
 _I’ll do my best to keep them distracted,_ Blue promised ‘Tusam. _Once the ships have been taken down, ground forces will most likely retreat, unless they are stupid._  
Aethon suddenly shrilled an alarm, wheeling around. _Blue! He called. Human presence, in orbit. Massive energy signature! A ship of unprecedented size, guessing by the output. They have made no attempt to contact us._  
 _Alert ‘Tusam and the Arbiter,_ Blue ordered. _Hail the human ship. Make sure they know we’re here. I don’t want any friendly fire, and if this is an ONI thing, we may need to retreat. They could be after High Charity!_  
She was scanning the battlefield, trying to get an idea of their situation. Her infantry’s advance was slowing again, their enemies regaining order, but chaos still raged on the fringes. Blue knew ‘Telcam was here somewhere, but she still had yet to find him.  
 _End him, end it all!  
Blue, the humans did not know we were here. They contacted the Arbiter with an offer of help, to fire from orbit at his attackers. They were surprised to receive my hail. And the Arbiter had confirmed our presence.  
‘Tusam! _Blue called. _Do you copy?  
I copy,_ the fleetmaster replied. _We can remove troops if necessary, to allow the humans to do whatever it is they are proposing._ He sounded a bit annoyed. _I did not expect this fight to turn into a spectacle.  
We have things under control here, _Blue argued. _I’d rather not get the humans involved if not necessary._ She didn’t trust that this wasn’t some ONI trick, and the ship wouldn’t hit the Vadam keep by “accident”.  
 _Indeed,_ ‘Tusam agreed, sensing her distrust. _‘Telcam’s reinforcements are losing their will to fight, seeing that the tide has turned. They will return to their keeps and cower, hoping feverishly that the Arbiter did not notice their traitorous presence. And the Arbiter would likely prefer that we handle this on our own, if we can._  
Blue thought of the females, trapped in the farmhouse. She thought of their husbands, out on the battlefield, fighting a battle they were slowly losing.  
 _How many people will be doomed by this?_  
“Don’t let the humans fire,” she said aloud, though Aethon received her thoughts as well. “We will chase the Servants away and let them run.”  
 _Do such traitors deserve that mercy?_ ‘Tusam questioned.  
 _They deserve the chance to atone for their sins,_ Blue replied. _Perhaps, once they see how unmovable the Arbiter is, they will.  
We fly by your word, Ascendant,_ ‘Tusam replied. _But I hope your kindly beliefs will not lead to a longer war._  
Aethon passed over the front lines, splattering enemy targets with plasma. Another Wraith went up in flames. Wherever the ship went, he left desolate swaths behind him.  
Blue inhaled deeply, and roared, a terrifying sound, spreading her dark wings wide. “Avu Med ‘Telcam, end this battle here, and let no more lives be lost.” Her voice thundered through the valley, so even the frigates, fighting and fleeing from her own ships, could hear her. “Your rebellion is over.”  
She didn’t expect a reply.  
She drew her earthshaker from her back, the weapon’s metal shaft extending. She aimed down its length and fired, explosive charges raining from the sky to pepper a dropship that was crawling across the battlefield. She was too high up to be hit by infantry return-fire, though she’d still have to watch out for any vehicles.  
“Surrender to me and you will be spared,” she continued, voice booming. “High Charity is in need of good people to rebuild her great halls, and all are welcome. Put aside your warring ways, and join me.”  
She wasn’t counting on many people actually wanting to take her up on that, but the moment’s consideration that ran through the mind of every individual only served to break up their ranks more. Friendly infantry was advancing at a strong pace again, and some of the enemy were even starting to flee the battlefield, running up the sides of the valley and into the woods.  
 _Ascendant! The destroyer and cruiser are headed for the keep!_ ‘Tusam contacted her. _If they reach there, they will be able to break through Vadam’s defenses. All ships, focus on those targets!_  
Blue spotted the pair of enemy ships approaching from the south, flying rapidly. The larger cruiser was sheltering the destroyer on its starboard side, since all of ‘Tusam’s ships were currently off port, chasing the rest of the frigates.  
 _Blue, the humans want us to leave,_ Aethon said. _They say they can destroy the destroyer, but we’re in the way.  
Well, we can destroy the destroyer too! _Blue shot back. _Why are the humans so eager to blow things up?_  
She still felt it was too risky. It would be all too easy to ‘accidentally’ hit the ‘Vadam keep, firing all the way from orbit. Orbital weapons would blast the keep to smithereens. She needed to be sure the ship wasn’t planning anything.  
Reaching her mind out far, far into the sky, she sensed the massive energy signature that was this unknown ship. It teemed with thousands of human minds.  
 _Goodness...time to sort._  
She winged away from the battle as she worked, so she could concentrate better. The destroyer and cruiser continued their rapid approach, and ‘Tusam’s nine ships came to intercept them.  
It was hard to concentrate with the massive naval battle raging behind her, but Blue had located the five people she was looking for. Six, rather. Parangosky was up there too.  
 _Oh!_ And so was Lord Hood!  
 _I should talk to him…_  
“Hey, Aethon, mind telling Lord Hood I’d like to speak with him?” she asked.  
 _No problem,_ the ship replied.  
Kilo-Five was on the human ship. And they had a purpose.  
 _They want to rescue ‘Telcam!_ Blue, astonished, read all of their minds again, to make sure. Now she really needed to find the Sangheili before they did.  
She flew over her forces. “Has anyone got spotted ‘Telcam, at any moment in time?” she asked loudly. Word rippled through her forces, and they passed back their answers in a game of warzone telephone.  
“No, Ascendant!” the nearest Sangheili of commanding rank, an Ultra, replied to her. “He must be nearer to the front lines!”  
“Aethon, help me search!” she ordered, and sped off.  
Kilo-Five was coming in their dastardly stealth Pelican, a miniature version of the Port Stanley, minus the fancy thermal technology. That was a boon; Blue would be able to track the ship by heat once it got closer.  
 _And I’ll let them lead me to ‘Telcam!_  
But her window of opportunity would be narrow. Strike too early, and she would blow her element of surprise. Strike too late, and ‘Telcam would escape.  
She donned her own supercloak and flew off to the side. Something exploded a distance away, and she saw one of her own ships shooting smoke and fire into the sky.  
 _Bastards got a good hit!_ The shipmaster was cursing over both the intercom and his telepathic link to Blue. _I am sorry, Ascendant, we are going down!  
Hold strong! _Blue ordered. _Put her down as gently as you can, and get everyone out! Another ship will pick you up from the site. This fight is almost over._  
The Servants were down to only four frigates, and that was about to become three. One of the frigates was almost touching the treetops, sinking slowly as the shipmaster fought to achieve a soft landing with only a few of the ship’s thrusters online. Something hit it from the side opposite Blue, exploding in brilliant fire, and the ship dropped the last fifty feet with a loud crash.  
The draconic didn’t have to wait very long for the cloaked Pelican to arrive on the battlefield. The blurry heat signature flew near the center of the front lines, hovering around like a giant insect. ‘Telcam must have been over there somewhere, among the knots of other Sangheili and Unggoy.  
Her sharp eyes spotted him. He was still commanding, yelling to his troops, refusing to back off. She wondered how on earth Kilo-Five expected to get him to leave. She settled at her current distance, waiting patiently.  
She reached out to their minds. Kilo-Five was trying to convince ‘Telcam that their big ship, called Infinity (how fitting), was going to fire on the battle and destroy his forces. And they were waiting up in the sky, on Port Stanley, to help get his remaining ships off the planet. By destroying Blue’s own ships with the stealth vessels’ nuclear armament.  
Her vision darkened. _You dare…_  
‘Telcam was surrounded by guards, and seemed unaware of the cloaked Pelican hovering over his head. Blue knew Pelicans didn’t have gravity lifts or tractor beams or anything. It wasn’t like they could just pluck ‘Telcam off the ground and run away with him. What were they going to do?  
A human missile fell from the sky and struck a Wraith near ‘Telcam’s position, exploding it. The Infinity had fired on his troops, from all the way in orbit, trying to scare the Sangheili into submitting.  
 _Is the Infinity in cahoots with Parangosky? Even with Lord Hood onboard? Or are they just finding excuses to help their plan run along?_  
Then Blue saw a SPARTAN-II drop out of the range of the cloak and land on top of one of the guards.  
 _Oh. That’s how they’re going to do it._  
The draconic hefted her earthshaker, trying to get a bead on ‘Telcam. He was in too secure of a position to be fired at from the ground; she needed a height advantage. But if she fired from the air, Parangosky would for sure know she was responsible. The woman was deadly smart. Anything out of the ordinary with ‘Telcam’s assassination would put a target on Blue’s head.  
She adjusted the settings on her earthshaker to best imitate the deadly plasma bolt of a beam rifle. Ever since joining the Covenant and getting dragged through rounds of “lets see what this weirdo can do with herself”, she’d been exposed to almost every type of Covenant firearm, and she had to say, the beam rifle remained one of her favorites. She hadn’t got to use it much (since it was a “lowly Kig-Yar” weapon) but still found it to be exhilarating to use, and by no means a simple weapon. It reminded her of the Ursomulian Nighthawk, a deadly long-range weapon used by the bearlike individuals from her home system, who ambushed enemy forces from the tops of their planet’s massive trees.  
A normal beam rifle could only fire two rapid shots before overheating. She would have to match that parameter if she wanted to keep her guise realistic. ‘Telcam would be no easy target; she knew by his armor that he had very strong energy shields.  
 _First, I need a vantage point..._ she couldn’t be in the air, but she couldn’t be on the ground either.  
Her eyes spotted the twisted wreck of the Wraith. It was still smoldering, but perhaps a very eager Kig-Yar would be able to avoid the hotter parts and use the wreck as a platform.  
She landed on the twisted metal; it was warm against her feet, still hot enough to burn skin. Very well; not everything could go in her favor.  
She waved her hand, and an illusion of her appeared in the sky, roaring angrily. The image flew in a circle before racing off to the south, away from ‘Telcam’s position. There was no way the Pelican missed it.  
She lifted her earthshaker and aimed down it. The SPARTAN had almost finished dispatching ‘Telcam’s guards, and was almost down to dealing with the Servant leader himself. He looked rightfully pissed.  
 _But he won’t live to complain about it._  
‘Telcam seemed almost unwilling to fight the SPARTAN; he fired at her with a plasma pistol, but the shots went wide. She was not as delicate with her actions; when the last guard was down, she dodged another pistol shot and ran right up to the Servant leader, swinging on armored fist into his head so hard he stumbled and dropped to a knee. Blue saw his shields spasm under the tremendous force.  
She tracked him as he went down, crosshairs on his head. When his shields flickered, she fired her two shots.  
The first drained the rest of his shields. The second went through his head and out the other side, burning a furrow in the dirt.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	13. 2.11: Battle for 'Vadam Pt. 3

2.11: Battle for ‘Vadam Pt. 3

The SPARTAN’s head snapped around and she immediately took cover, expecting more shots. Blue had dropped from the Wraith and was sheltering on the other side. She wasn’t planning on attempting to kill the SPARTAN herself - meddling with Parangosky’s plans would make one enemy, but killing an actual human (let alone a SPARTAN) would make too many more. Sheathing her earthshaker over her back, Blue ran from the Wraith and back to the sky.  
_‘Telcam is down,_ she reported. _A Kig-Yar sniper got him._ It would be best to make sure nobody knew it was her, just in case.  
The Pelican had landed. The SPARTAN was searching around the back of the Wraith, but would find nothing. After a moment, she returned to her dropship and it took off.  
_Well done,_ ‘Tusam said. _Brothers, we are victorious!  
Don’t cheer too soon, _Blue warned. _There are still three frigates up, and the destroyer and cruiser.  
Cruiser’s almost down,_ ‘Tusam reported. _And, the Arbiter’s ships have finally arrived! They come now, over the horizon._  
“Finally,” Blue muttered. Her illusion had dispersed somewhere over friendly territory, so she could drop her supercloak. The flash of her silver armor sent Unggoy running for cover, screeching in fear.  
_Nice shot, Blue,_ Aethon privately congratulated her. She could lie to everyone else, but the ship knew her too well. _Without their leader, the ranks are disintegrating._  
The cruiser and destroyer had made it nearer to the keep, over one side of the battlefield. The cruiser was smoking badly, having shielded the destroyer to the best of its abilities. Something internal exploded, and the ship erupted flames out the side before a series of explosions near to cracked the hull in two. It swerved away from the destroyer and went careening off, on a collision-course with the ground.  
_Seems like they’re trying to crash into the keep,_ Aethon observed. _But they are too far east. A good thought on their end, but unexecutable.  
Thank goodness, _Blue muttered in reply. She didn’t want to almost die again while trying to stop the fall of a really big and heavy spaceship.  
_Destroyer is preparing to open fire!_ ‘Tusam reported. _Charging the ventral beam!  
Are they insane?_ Blue yelled back inside her head. _They’re going to hit their own troops! All ships, STOP THEM!_  
Aethon’s thrusters roared, and the white ship charged at the destroyer, open firing with his plasma cannon. It splattered against the ship’s shields.  
‘Tusam’s ships were wheeling around, ignoring the remaining frigates and charging for the destroyer. The air lit up like it was on fire as the fleet let loose their guns.  
Blue flew at the ship as well, ground falling away beneath her. She swung through the air, firing bolts from her earthshaker. The weapon, designed for infantry combat and to handle small vehicles, wasn’t very hopeful against ship-grade energy shields. However, once the shields went down, the damage she could inflict would skyrocket.  
“Keep hitting it!” she ordered. “The Arbiter won’t be happy if we let this ship turn his front lawn into glass!”  
A loud energy crackle started up to Blue’s right; Aethon was drilling the shields with his energy turrets, which were emitting a constant beam of energy rather than their usual, quantified pulses. The beam itself was more powerful than the pulses combined, but it also drained more energy. But Aethon didn’t seem the least bit worried; like Blue, the presence of three suns rather than one left him brimming with energy that the photovoltaic coating on his hull absorbed. Point-defense laser fire from the destroyer flickered brightly against his shields.  
He aimed the turrets inwards, so they were hitting the same spot. The destroyer’s shields, pounded from all directions by weapons fire, flickered and went out. Aethon’s energy beam pierced the ship’s hull and came out the other side.  
“Bravo!” Blue cheered, backwinging away as the ship was rocked by explosions. Aethon cut the beam and swung away as well, leaving the destroyer to be torn apart by the rest of the fleet. He retreated to a safe distance so his energy shields could recharge.  
_I am glad I thought of putting the beams together,_ the ship told her proudly.  
_Thinking about a hyperbeam?_ Blue chuckled. It was a highly theoretical piece of energetic technology, of course. Save for the very-secret one the Gehirnian scientists had built.  
_Yes,_ the ship replied. _I’m sure it would be very useful here. My weapons are powerful, but I have nothing that can match the raw output of a Covenant ventral beam.  
Well done, shipmasters,_ ‘Tusam was on the line again, distracting Blue. _Now, let us finish the last of these ships.  
Wait! _Blue called. _There is an anomaly in the atmosphere. A highly-cloaked ship, unseen and unsensed. Even I can barely detect its presence.  
What do you mean?_ ‘Tusam questioned. _The longer we wait, the further ahead those frigates get on their path to escape!_  
The Arbiter’s ships were already increasing altitude, determined to pursue the fleeting frigates.  
_I will reveal this cloaked ship to you,_ Blue said. _If we pursue those frigates, it will attack us. If you do not warn the Arbiter, it will destroy his ships as well. You recall the signatures Aethon sensed? This is that ship._  
The Arbiter’s ships were cruiser-class, most smaller than battlecruisers, and a few battlecruisers themselves. Blue knew Port Stanley would be loaded to the brim with deadly human weaponry. She also knew that ‘Tusam (and the Arbiter) would question her warning. After all, to them, Port Stanley seemed like nothing more than just the empty sky against her word.  
Aethon was chasing after the frigates under supercloak, the only way to assure he wouldn’t get shot at by the other cloaked ship.  
_Defend the Arbiter’s ships, Aethon,_ Blue ordered. _They are a higher priority._  
She was winging towards the Port Stanley under her own supercloak. The stealth ship was hard to track, but thankfully wasn’t moving much at the moment. When Blue had first seen her, she had been under only passive camouflage. Now, with all her systems active, the ship was practically invisible. She had no thermal signature and wasn’t detectable by radar or similar means. Even the engine emissions had been scrambled to hide the ship; this plus thermal disguise led to her energy signature being scrambled as well. The active energy signature did not at all match that of a ship its size. It would be all too easy for the ship to hide within a fleet, or disguise itself as other types of vessels. She could sense the minds of the people onboard, however, so she knew she had the right ship.  
As she got closer, the ship’s invisibility became slowly less invisible. A faint shimmer here and there, a distortion of the background. She had to be much closer than a normal ship would get to actually see the vessel.  
Under supercloak, even Port Stanley’s highly-advanced systems couldn’t detect her, unless they had somehow acquired the ores needed to smelt fairy glass (which required highly-trained personnel to process correctly) and knew how to integrate the shimmering, energetic material into sensory systems (which also required highly-trained personnel). She almost chuckled at the ridiculous idea of ONI getting their hands on energetic substances, which were jealously guarded by her people.  
She slowed her pace, shutting down her thrusters, and approached the smooth flank of the ship. She was watching, waiting to get a firing solution on the Arbiter’s ships. And, to Blue’s distress, some of her own.  
She peered at the surface of the ship, trying to understand what she could. Peeking into the minds of those aboard helped as well.  
_So it’s got some sort of coating...so if I disrupt it, the ship becomes detectable._  
She unsheathed her earthshaker. She didn’t want to pierce the ship’s hull (once again, UNSC wouldn’t be happy with her if she did that), just destroy some of the coating. She also wanted to make this look as accidental as possible (or at least make the damages not point to her). It was another incredible risk.  
_A stray shot from a ship?_  
She frowned. Guessing by the size of the ship, even a shot from one of the cruiser’s weaker laser turrets would likely breach the plating on Port Stanley’s hull. A glancing blow would be difficult to believe.  
_I don’t have time to delegate!_ She swung herself around, putting herself almost parallel to the ship, aimed down her earthshaker, and fired.  
The energy beam emitted scorched a long streak down the side of the ship, burning away the coating and a few inches of hull. It was her best imitation of a glancing shot by a laser pulse, and it served its purpose, though did more damage than she wanted it to. She fled the scene as the Port Stanley reacted with surprise that it had been hit.  
With a portion of the coating gone, the ship was now visible to sensors. And, with Blue yelling warnings in all their ears, the shipmasters aboard her own ships quickly pulled back.  
“You see?” she yelled. “That ship was waiting to destroy us!”  
_But is it capable of such a feat?_ ‘Tusam questioned. He sounded somewhat annoyed with her.  
_Yes,_ Blue snapped back. _If the Arbiter doesn’t call back his ships, you will see._  
Aethon could only project shields so far from him. The Arbiter’s ships were too spread out for him to protect them all.  
_Look, the Arbiter’s ships close in on the frigates,_ ‘Tusam replied irritably. _And we are not a part of this grand finale!  
Just wait, _Blue growled. Her voice was so menacing, hinting that she wanted no further debate, that ‘Tusam didn’t reply.  
A moment of silence passed with everyone staring at the sky.  
A flurry of nuclear missiles erupted into space, rocketing all over the sky. Some of them splattered harmlessly against an invisible curve in space, where Aethon’s shield was. But a few made it around the shield, and found their target.  
‘Tusam was quiet as one of the Arbiter’s cruisers exploded, debris raining from the sky. Blue could hear Aethon cursing at the Arbiter’s ships for pursuing, having hacked into their comm systems.  
_Damn fools don’t want to back down!_ he told Blue. _You must convince the Arbiter to call them off! I can't protect them!  
‘Tusam,_ Blue requested, _patch me into the Arbiter’s communications.  
Yes, Ascendant, _he replied.  
There was a burst of radio noise which cleared quickly. _Ascendant Blue,_ the Arbiter’s voice rang in her head. _Fleetmaster ‘Tusam informed me that you have insight into that cloaked ship that just shot down one of my cruisers.  
I do, _Blue replied. _The ship contains numerous high-yield nuclear missiles of human origin. If you don’t call back your ships, they will be destroyed. Aethon can’t protect all of them._  
The Arbiter didn’t reply immediately. The silence cost him another one of his ships.  
_Oh, come on!_ Aethon yelled in a most unprofessional manner. Debris rained down from the sky.  
_I will call them back,_ the Arbiter said curtly, and dropped the line.  
Blue huffed angrily. She was going to have to talk to a lot of people after this. Everyone was going to want answers, or just an excuse to yell and be mad.  
One of the escaping frigates suddenly blew fire from its rear; before turning away, the Arbiter’s ships had fired one, final volley. The injured ship shuddered, losing speed. Before it could recover, an energy beam struck its unshielded side, piercing the ship through. Aethon, uncloaked, swept by, doing his trick with his energy turrets. He impaled the ship a second time, aiming for the reactors, and the frigate exploded into brilliant flame.  
_The other two are jumping,_ the ship reported. _They are uncatchable now._  
_It’s no big deal,_ Blue replied tiredly. _We have killed their leadership and scattered their army. They have next to nothing left._  
_Fleet of Dawn, we are going home,_ ‘Tusam ordered. _All ships, to me._  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	14. 2.12: Going Home

2.12: Going Home

“Infinity is willing to receive me,” Blue reported to Aethon as she hurried through the halls of High Charity. “We just got the transmission from Lord Hood.”  
 _Nice,_ the ship complimented. _Will you fly there yourself?_  
“Best I do,” Blue replied. “They’re probably edgy enough, thinking that there’s a Kig-Yar running around in a highly-advanced stealth ship that has nuclear missiles.”  
 _You should speak to the Brood Mother,_ Aethon suggested. _She could put a word out that someone is impersonating a Kig-Yar shipmistress. Swear that it wasn’t them, but an impersonator._ Intercepted transmissions had “revealed” a Kig-Yar to be behind the incident.  
“The Kig-Yar are easy to frame,” Blue muttered. “Their thieving tendencies make it easy to put them in all positions of discord. I doubt the humans would trust the word of one, even a Brood Mother.”  
 _The Kig-Yar don’t like getting framed,_ Aethon added. _If they find out who’s behind all this, they could go after them.  
Unlikely, unless they’ve got kin involved, _Blue replied. _Good thought, though._  
She was currently searching for ‘Tusam, who had disembarked his ship to report to the Council of Masters to discuss the results of the engagement. Blue would attend as well, but she wanted to clear up things with the fleetmaster first.  
She could tell he was upset with her. Partially because he knew she had been right about chasing the frigates, and that his own bloodlust and honorlust would’ve put his ships in unnecessary danger. He was also upset about letting the frigates get away, something that was insulting to his skill as a fleetmaster. Most worryingly, however, was the fact that he suspected Blue was hiding information.  
 _I don’t know how to tell them it was a human ship without risking a rift between the species,_ Blue fretted. _Their relations are so very weak.  
And I’ve lied to them too much already._  
‘Tusam was her right hand on the Council of the Ascendant, politically. He was the leader of her fleet, the head of the Council of Masters. He was respected by his underlings, and he respected her. She didn’t want to ruin that.  
She spotted him outside the chamber they used for the Council of Masters, high up on a tower. He was standing at a balcony, hands clasped behind his back, looking out over the city.  
It was a beautiful sight. The artificial star glowed warmly over the buildings, their purple tinges making them iridescent. But the view was different than it had been before; large swaths of development had been destroyed by the fighting in the city, combined with the fall of In Amber Clad’s wreckage. These ruins had been torn down, areas cleared and leveled. Fences and sheds were being erected within these zones, preparing for the arrival of livestock shipments from Sanghelios. With the animals would come seeds, grains, fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs from the planet.  
 _We are well on the path to self-sufficiency, even with a growing population._  
She walked towards the fleetmaster purposefully; he heard the sound of her tail whispering over the ground and turned, inclining his head respectfully.  
“Ascendant,” he said. His eyes were reserved.  
She bowed her own head and touched her fingers to her forehead. “Fleetmaster ‘Tusam. I hope I find you well after our engagement.”  
“I am not to unwell,” he replied, “but I have a few qualms.”  
Blue nodded understandingly. “Yes...about that, I would like to apologize for any distress my confusing behavior did cause. I was only seeking to protect the lives aboard our ships.”  
‘Tusam looked away. “I should apologize as well, for questioning your orders. You were correct about the danger we were in...I was blinded by the rush of war.” He bowed his head. “It was not honorable of me.” He said those words quietly, so Blue barely heard them.  
The weight of his words was heavy, and Blue could feel his raw emotion. “I think nothing less of you, Fleetmaster,” she told him. “You are one of this city’s most valuable assets. Without your leadership, we risk falling to chaos. Your command during this recent engagement was superb. Not only did we successfully defend the keep and severely cripple the Arbiter’s enemies, but we did it with very light losses. Only one ship downed, and half of the crew survived. Our infantry losses were equally as light.”  
‘Tusam was silent. After a moment, he rumbled quietly, “Thank you, Ascendant. You give me more credit than I deserve.”  
“You also deserve an explanation,” Blue lowered her own voice. ‘Tusam looked up curiously, eyes narrowing.  
He was accompanied by a pair of Honor Guardsmen, but otherwise they were alone. Blue made eye contact with the guards, assessing her trust of them.  
“Give us a moment,” ‘Tusam made the decision for her, dismissing his guards. He walked away from the edge of the balcony as the pair left.  
Blue followed him. “We all saw the ship on radar once I damaged some of its ablative shielding,” she said. “We also received a transmission that a Kig-Yar shipmistress was at command, and had acquired nuclear missiles of human origin. However, I made it obvious through my behavior that I could detect the ship before it was visible to anyone else.”  
“That is not disturbing,” ‘Tusam replied evenly. “We are all aware of your abilities. I have seen you correctly calculate distances between ships just by sensing the energy output by their reactors. I have seen you hunt down camouflaged units during combat training as if they were still visible.” He paused, considering his words. “What is disturbing is the fact you knew the ship could take on our own vessels without issue. The only way you could have known the ship’s destructive capabilities would be if you had encountered it before. And withheld that information from me.”  
Blue nodded heavily. “I am sorry, Fleetmaster. I did hold information from you, but after I explain, I hope you will see why.”  
She took a breath, looking out over the city. “Humanity, like the Sangheili, is not unified. They are fighting amongst themselves yet, over many different things. One of the things they do not agree on is how we should interact with other civilizations. Especially yours.”  
She turned her head away. “The Sangheili are the one species they feel threatened by the most. You are strong, and many of you are unified under a powerful leader. You have vast resources within your grasp, and are still very capable of war. You are not split, scattered across the galaxy like the Jiralhanae. You are not mercenaries, lone rangers like the Kig-Yar. You are unified.” She stressed the word. “And now that the Arbiter’s enemies have been defeated, you are even stronger. And some humans fear you will come to strike against them again. Unfortunately, one of the humans with that mindset is in a position of incredible power.”  
“Who?” ‘Tusam demanded to know. “Who among the humans plots against us yet?”  
“You have never met her,” Blue replied, “and I hope you never will. Because the moment you come to know her and her crew will be the last moment of your life.”  
‘Tusam’s eyes widened with a mixture of anger and shock at Blue’s words. He drew his head back a little, as if suddenly worried that a human could be that dangerous.  
“She has a team under her command that will not question her orders,” the Ascendant continued. “And much of what she does the UNSC does not know about. If they did, they would shut it down.” Her eyes brightened. “This is why this is such a sensitive issue, because this is not humanity planning against us. This is one woman, one woman with incredible power, whose pride, fear, hatred, whatever cannot be set aside for the sake of the greater good. But if this information was to become public, I fear it would lead to another war.” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you know what would become of us if we fought?”  
“We would destroy each other,” ‘Tusam replied quietly. “We are too weak to survive another war against humanity at this time.”  
“That is why I withheld this information,” Blue told him. “Because I know your kind. I know your ways. Many of you would not listen to reason, once given a reason to fight.”  
‘Tusam nodded slowly. “I see, Ascendant.”  
“That is also why those Sangheili women are under heavy watch,” Blue added, pointing to the depths of the city. “They have interacted with one of these traitorous humans, and I do not know what he told them.”  
The Sangheili women and their children had been given living quarters in the lower districts of the city. Their quarters were furnished nicely, but basically. Nothing that could be used as an improvised weapon or anything similar. The ten individuals, plus their two Unggoy, had also all been given tracking devices that were injected (done by Blue because she didn’t trust anyone else with something this tricky) into their necks, so they rested right next to the species’ analogue of a carotid artery. She wanted no chance they could get the trackers off (that had ruled out wearable ones for injectables) and she also wouldn’t put it past one of them to try and claw the devices out. So, she’d put them right next to the artery, so removal of the device by hand also risked death for the wearer.  
The trackers were also programmed to only allow the wearers to roam certain areas of the city (namely their quarters, the nearest place to get food, a couple bathrooms, some nice walking areas away from others, and all the halls between). Exiting the area would cause the tracker to emit loud beeps, alert their guards, and deliver the wearer a debilitating shock if they didn’t return to the allowed zone within ten seconds. With use of the trackers, the guards themselves never really had to be present, hopefully making the women and younglings feel less like prisoners and more like individuals on probation. Good behavior earned them more space to roam.  
“Those people left them for dead,” Blue continued. “They didn’t care for the lives of them or their children. They consider the Sangheili subhuman, below their own status. And for that, they are extremely dangerous. Morals do not limit them.”  
“What do you propose we do, Ascendant?” ‘Tusam asked. “And what shall I do?”  
“Tell no one,” Blue replied. “During this meeting, I will give the Council an overview of what I have found, but the involvement of humans is not to be mentioned.” She looked down. “Hopefully, when I speak with Lord Hood after this, I will be able to initiate an investigation into these outliers. As I said, the UNSC doesn’t know about what is going on. I can’t go around pointing fingers, but I can drop hints. Hopefully, I can bog down this traitorous operation in an investigation.” She lifted her head, holding it high. “Fleetmaster, keep your ships vigilant. There is great danger out there, in the dark. We must not let it sneak up on us. They will take the low road; we will take the high. They seek to destroy; we seek to save. We will rise above their shadows, and if they choose to strike against us, we will strike them down.”  
‘Tusam bowed his head. “By your word, Ascendant, it will be done.”  
Blue gestured to the tall doors leading to the meeting chamber. “Let us enter now, so we may begin this session. We have much to discuss.”  
They filed into the chamber, rejoining the rest of the Masters, shipmasters, fieldmasters, and their one fleetmaster. ‘Tusam’s place was at the end of the hall, upon a high seat, flanked by the other Masters who sat with him on the Council of the Ascendant. Currently, he had only two, ‘Mahom and ‘Ne’ahs, though policy would allow up to four.  
Their lofty position was reached by the means of two staircases, which marked the far ends of the rest of the seats the other Masters sat at. These wide bleachers used to hold a sea of people, but now they held only a fraction.  
Blue had no traditional seat; her place was almost like a bird’s perch, above where ‘Tusam sat. There was a holographic projection next to her position, as well as ‘Tusam’s, for bringing additional people into the meetings.  
The chamber filled, and once everyone was accounted for, the Honor Guards closed the doors and retook their silent positions, lining the walkway leading up to ‘Tusam.  
“Let this session commence,” he announced, voice carrying over the low chatter and bringing the room to silence. Blue spotted ‘Ayanam in the crowd; he nodded to her.  
“The Ascendant would like to speak to you briefly before we begin,” ‘Tusam continued, receiving Blue’s quick mental note. “Ascendant?” he looked to her, giving her the floor.  
“My fellow Masters, before we begin, I have a proposition,” Blue began. “Seeing that we are here, above Sanghelios, the place many of you hail from, I would like to allow all Sangheili aboard this station shore leave for a period of time as determined by this Council. You have all fought exceedingly hard and worked diligently to keep this station running over the past few months. You deserve some time to see your families again, before we must depart for another long mission into the dark.” She took a breath. “Once the space and ground are determined safe enough for departure, leave will commence, as allowed by this Council. So, among our discussions today, which I hope will include numerous promotions, I would like to add shore leave.”  
She leaned forwards, hind feet grasping the bar below her tightly. She anticipated this next response nervously. “Furthermore, I have an offer for all Sangheili with families on this planet. I have already discussed this with the Councilor of Unity, and he deemed it a fair idea. Due to the unstable nature of this planet’s civilization, your families are invited to come aboard this station, where it might prove safer for them. We have plenty of space, in the high and low districts, for you to establish a new keep, or simply a temporary residence until this civil war dies down. Because, as we speak, battles continue to rage across all corners as factions fight for purposes unknown. This station will remain an oasis of calm among the sandstorms.” She lifted a hand, gesturing across the room. “All are welcome aboard.” With that, she nodded, signifying that she was done. Her words were met with a round of thunderous approval.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	15. 2.13: Infinity

2.13: Infinity

Blue streaked across the darkness of space, light of her thrusters trailing behind her. Looming high above the planet was the massive hull of Infinity, orbiting quietly. The draconic’s eyes lit up like beacons, flashing to hail the ship. They knew it was her, and she knew where to go.  
She flew into the receiving airlock, swinging her feet out in front of her to land. Her wings folded up, contracting. The exterior door shut behind her and alarms sounded as the room repressurized.  
Once the transfer was done, the interior opened to admit her. Lord Hood was waiting for her, along with an escort from the ship. Blue was not surprised to see they were armed.  
“Ascendant Blue,” Lord Hood greeted her, holding out his hand. “It is good to see you again, though not in the peaceful situation I had hoped for.”  
Blue took his hand and shook it. “I am glad to see you as well, and also share your qualms. I am just glad we put down the uprising swiftly, before any serious damage could be done.” She paused, looking up to admire the walls of the ship around her. “But before we depart for any serious conversation, I must say, this vessel is astounding. I am in awe of her silhouette against the suns this planet orbits, which I was so lucky to see on part of my approach. She is an impressive machine.”  
“The UNSC Infinity is humanity’s most advanced ship, to date,” Lord Hood told her proudly. “She is outfitted with the best of the best, in terms of technology and crew. I’ll have to give you a brief tour around her decks after our discussion.”  
“Oh, that would be wonderful,” Blue replied gratefully. She wanted to see the ship for mostly reasons of curiosity, but it would also be nice to see what kind of new firepower the humans had cooked up. And Parangosky would be out of her mind when she found out Lord Hood let an “enemy” leader tour the ship.  
They were escorted deeper into the ship, towards a quieter and more secure place where Blue and Lord Hood could talk. Their journey led them by other crewmembers, who all turned their heads at the sight of the silver-armored creature walking through their halls, and quietly commented to each other about how much she looked like a dragon.  
Their journey ended in a smaller tactical room, with a central holotank that was currently mapping the surface of Sanghelios. They were left alone, but Blue doubted the conversation would be private.  
“I understand the ability of the Kig-Yar to acquire weapons of unusual origin,” Lord Hood began, “but whatever that ship fired out seemed a hell of a lot like one of our own nuclear-class missiles. You seemed like you had more information than us on whatever the hell happened out there.”  
“What did you see, on your end?” Blue asked in reply. “Just so I know what you know, and don’t repeat anything useless.”  
“Your ships seemed to have everything under control,” Lord Hood began. “We watched the frigates trying to escape, and assumed they’d be caught in no time. Your ships were there too, but then they pulled back. Then, we started detecting another ship in the atmosphere, though all its signatures were broken up, mangled, and wholly unreadable.” He gestured at the map of Sanghelios on the holotank. “This strange thing fired on the Arbiter’s ships with what could only have been Rudra-class nuclear missiles.” He looked up at her. “Your ship was up there, wasn’t it? Something blocked some of those missiles, something else we couldn’t detect. Parangosky wanted to fire on it, but I had a feeling it was your ship, so I convinced her to back off.”  
Blue felt a twinge of anger, stiffening the plates along the back of her neck. “Yes, that was my ship. He was trying to save the Arbiter’s ships, though they were too spread out to block them all from missiles of that payload.”  
“As I thought,” Lord Hood continued. “So, this crazy ship shoots down two cruisers before fleeing into slipspace. And then my AI starts talking about some Kig-Yar named Lahz that was commanding that ship. She apparently intercepted some transmissions from the vessel.”  
Blue nodded. “I spoke with High Charity’s Brood Mother, and they swear they know of no Kig-Yar shipmistress by the name of Lahz who would wish to so openly act against the Arbiter. There is no gain or plunder in going to war against the Arbiter’s ships, unless they are captured. Nor do they believe that the Lahz’s they have heard of would willingly aid the Servants, unless they are being paid handsomely.” She inclined her head. “As Brood Mother of High Charity, she has sway amongst the entire Kig-Yar species, and condones actions against the Arbiter. Challenging her is to risk death.”  
“So you’re saying you don’t think a Kig-Yar was aboard that ship,” Lord Hood replied, “or at least, if your Kig-Yar aren’t lying, that’s the case.”  
“Well, they weren’t lying,” Blue replied. She tapped her temple with a claw. “I made sure of it. They are under the impression the ship was impersonating a Kig-Yar.”  
“It’s very easy to blame almost everything on the Kig-Yar,” Lord Hood grumbled with a shrug. “I can see why someone would do that.”  
The draconic nodded agreeably. “Furthermore, before the fighting broke out, I tracked a strange energy signature to the planet’s surface and discovered that a highly advanced stealth ship had landed there.” She paused, taking a breath. This next part would have to be delicate. “I am of the impression the two ships are the same. Both times, I saw them close up, though in the latter occurrence the ship was under active camouflage. After I burnt off a strip of its camouflaging exterior, I recognized it.”  
She didn’t want to say too much. She didn’t want to point fingers directly at Parangosky; that was a bold move, accusing someone so highly-ranked of such a crime. It risked Lord Hood’s trust, and the ONI woman’s anger. Of all the outcomes, the last she wanted was the lady sending Kilo-Five after High Charity. Seeing that the station was going to be orbiting Sanghelios for the next week or so, with most of its Sangheili on the ground, they were an easier target than usual. She just wanted to set a flame, and let it grow itself, inhibiting Parangosky’s abilities to act freely without the draconic’s direct intervention.  
“Well, what kind of ship was it?” Lord Hood questioned. “Could you identify it?”  
Blue nodded gravely. “It was a ship I had never seen before, but I know for a fact it was UNSC. Your ships are visibly discernable from those of Covenant or Sangheili origin.”  
Lord Hood’s eyes widened, shocked. “A UNSC ship? None were dispatched to the surface, that I know of. And no ships of stealth class, for sure.”  
“It was unmistakable,” Blue told him gravely. “I got a good look at it on the planet. It looked to me like a black-coated crustacean with sloping wings, smooth on the exterior, plated with your human metals - titanium - and it rested against the earth in such a way your eye could easily move right over it from a distance. What does that sound like to you?”  
“A prowler,” Lord Hood replied, frowning and crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re saying there was a UNSC prowler on the surface of Sanghelios, one that nobody told me about, and one that has fired on our allies?”  
Blue could tell he didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to believe that someone amongst the rebellious groups of mankind wanted to get involved with the Sangheili’s squabbles, right under his nose.  
“It is my only conclusion for what I have seen,” the draconic said cautiously. “That prowler wanted those Servent frigates to escape. It wanted the Arbiter to lose ships, lose resources. Someone is trying to destabilize his rule on this planet.” She lowered her head, eyes locking onto the holotank’s image of the planet. “Doing so would threaten to embroil this state in bloody civil war. Millions would die. But the Sangheili would be crippled, and humanity would be safer. But only from them.” She lifted her head, making eye contact with Lord Hood. “If the Sangheili are disabled, you will stand alone against whatever evil comes next to the galaxy. Though some might see the world safer when they are alone, security is a matter of numbers.”  
“Many of my fellows dislike the Sangheili,” Lord Hood said slowly, obviously thinking carefully about his words. “I want peace with them; they are powerful allies in all sorts of operations. Many of them, like me, have moved grudgingly beyond our pasts to accept this. But some have not, and I could see someone with power and influence wanting to pull off the sort of shenanigans you’ve described.” He shook his head. “But anyone could have been piloting that ship.”  
Blue nodded. “I hate to suspect any member of those I consider my allies, but this is the only conclusion that I can come to that makes sense with all of the things I have discovered.”  
Lord Hood rubbed his eyes, looking stressed and fatigued. “We have no idea where that ship went...it could be anywhere by now. You’ve provided us with potent information, but I can’t call it much in the form of a lead.” He shook his head. “And your...telepathy, while you may not be lying about the things you claim to see in other peoples’ minds, will never pass for evidence in a court of law.”  
Blue looked away. “Understood. I also discovered a Pelican dropship in association with this prowler. The dropship is modified with active camouflage as well. If you have any records of such ships, I would follow them to their associates.” Her eyes glowed. “Either way, you must not let this rest; that is my advice. Someone is trying to undo all our hard work.”  
Lord Hood nodded gravely. “I will see that an investigation is put underway...I spoke with Admiral Parangosky earlier, and she didn’t seem very worried about the situation. Had bigger fish to fry, I guess. But maybe this will get her more interested.”  
Blue internally grimaced; an investigation headed by Parangosky would come up with nothing, for sure. She needed to redirect that thought.  
“Admiral Parangosky did not strike me as one who considered the Sangheili’s situation of much interest in any circumstances,” the draconic said carefully. “She seems much more focused on the human situation. Her lack of worry makes sense to me. Though I will admit, it is also worrying that she is not worried.”  
Lord Hood nodded, rubbing the back of his neck worriedly while he thought. “Maybe I won’t bother her then...I’ll find someone more eager to deal with this. She has enough to think about, as is.”  
Blue nodded, secretly relieved. “That seems wise. Have you any more questions for me? I have explained what I came to explain.”  
Lord Hood shook his head. “You’ve given us information that’s going to require some...mulling over. I’m grateful for your willingness to share this with us.”  
Blue inclined her head. “I am glad to assist the UNSC. I do have one, small request for you, of trivial matters, if I may ask.”  
“Go ahead,” Lord Hood replied with a wave of his hand.  
“Is there anyone aboard this ship that may have experience constructing theaters?” the draconic asked. “Not the movie type; the ones you humans use for plays and such. Concert hall, I think, is the correct term.”  
Lord Hood looked baffled. “Well, we probably do, seeing we have over seventeen thousand people on this ship. I’ll find someone for you. What’s it for?”  
“I’m thinking of constructing a theater of sorts on High Charity,” Blue replied. “One of my Unggoy put the idea in my head. Their culture is ripe with theatrical history, and I think it will be healthy for the moral of the station. Have you ever taken part in a play, Lord Hood?”  
Lord Hood shook his head. “Can’t say I have.”  
The draconic smiled, looking away. “There is nothing quite like trying as putting together a show. You struggle, you argue, you fight, and some days it seems like the show will never come together. But you also come together with determination like no other. And, when the curtains are drawn, you are glorious. And you make friends that will last a lifetime. It doesn’t matter who you were before. The show must go on, so on you will go.”  
“It’s a strange proposition, but it’s your station,” Lord Hood replied with a shrug. “I’ll make sure I find someone for you. In the meantime, let me show you around the Infinity. It’s the least I can do to thank you for your help.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	16. 2.14: No Place Like Home

2.14: No Place Like Home

Blue was aboard a battlecruiser headed for the state of Vadam, and it was packed full with Sangheili eager to see their families. Many were worried to the point of exhaustion about the recent fighting that had gone on in their backyards; many feared they would return to a keep that had been leveled.  
The reports were grim. Fights were occurring all over the planet, usually getting worse the closer to Vadam one traveled. The Arbiter’s fleet had their hands full, and many of Blue’s own were foregoing shore leave for now, to help put down the insurgents.  
But, by some merciful stroke, the situation in Vadam itself had stabilized. The fleeing Servants had been viciously tracked down, many of them killed before they returned to their keeps. Others had made it to the safety of home, only to come under unforgiving siege. Their homes were cracked and they were uprooted, felled like trees. Revenge hit hard, and took no prisoners.  
The draconic left High Charity under the supervision of Aethon and the Councilor of Unity. Before she had departed, Blue had visited Yalar one more time. The Minister of Dispute’s Vice Minister had taken over a lot of her work, giving her more time to care for her child, as well as the Sangheili childling. Indeed, she and her aide had their hands full.  
“He has energy unknown for a San’Shyuum child of his age,” the aide puffed under her breath, watching the Sangheili childling tear around the apartment, chasing a small device Blue had made for him, which flew through the air and flashed tantalizingly.  
“Has he spoken yet?” the draconic asked.  
The aide shook her head. “Not that I have heard. Nor do I know when he is supposed to be able to do such a thing.”  
“I’ll make sure to find out,” Blue promised. “We’ll get him a Sangheili guardian who can help you two out.”  
The aide had seemed nervous at the idea of working with a Sangheili, but Yalar had accepted gratefully. “Anything we can do for the childling, we should do,” she said to Blue while cradling her own infant. “And that includes providing for him a guardian who knows how to keep him in good health.”  
Blue crouched and called the childling’s name. “Raion, come here.”  
The childling stopped his running, hearing her voice. His young memories were fuzzy and jumbled, but she had discerned from them his name, what his mother had called him. Raion Nes’alun. His last name was never spoken to him. If it wasn’t, he would never remember he even had one. If she wanted to, Blue could hide his past from him. Save him from a painful start, or something he might view as dishonorable. But she also didn’t know if she could bring herself to lie to him, if he ever asked.  
Raion trotted over to her, completely stable on his own two feet. He stopped in front of her, putting one of his small hands on her knee.  
“I’ll be back soon,” she promised. “I’m going to try and find another friend for you.”  
He nodded. They referred to Yalar and her aide as “friends” or “nannies” rather than mothers. Blue was always referred to by her name. Once the child was older, he could pick who he wanted to call as his mother.  
“Be good, ok?” she requested. “Don’t tire out Yalar too much. And don’t wake Prema when she sleeps, ok?” she gave him a stern look. “I know she sleeps much more than you do. She needs to.”  
He nodded again. He understood what she said to him, even if he never replied.  
She lowered her head, pointing her nose to the ground. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, grabbing the bony ridges around her nostrils with his hands. It was the only thing on her face he could get his fingers around, and he’d always go after it, no matter the situation.  
After a moment, Blue lifted away, and Raion reluctantly let go. The childling sat back on his haunches, staring up at her with big, yellow eyes.  
And now she was aboard the ship, heading for the surface. ‘Ayanam was sitting next to her; they were getting off at the same point.  
The Shipmaster was excited. And nervous. It had been a long time since he’d seen his family, and he hoped they would be proud of him. It was written all over his face; she didn’t have to read his mind to see the subtle emotions in his eyes.  
It had been years, in human terms. All too long of a time to be away, worlds away. So many things could have changed in that time.  
The intercom listed off names of keeps that were accessible from the next stop. ‘Riquan was among them.  
‘Ayanam stood up, almost a little too fast. He swung his head around to face the gravity lift, excitement in his amber eyes.  
“My family will be honored to meet you,” he rumbled, something he’d most definitely said before. Blue smiled at him reassuringly.  
“I’m very excited,” she told him kindly. “Your keep sounds beautiful, and your family wonderful.”  
The ship halted, the lift turning on. The Sangheili began to disembark, dropping down one by one. Below, on the ground, knobby-tired vehicles waited to take people to their destinations. Some families had even driven out to the drop zone to personally greet their returning members. They were gathered in groups, eyes fixed on the battlecruiser.  
As Blue descended through the lift, she saw a Sangheili Ultra proudly walk up to a gathered group, who cheered excitedly as he approached. They were his siblings, some with partners and no children, some mothers with children and no partners, some mothers with children and partners pretending to be uncles. His aunts were also there, and his mother, who hugged him perhaps a little too tight, wordlessly babbling into his armored shoulder.  
A Sangheili Minor with less restraint went sprinting across the field, yelling out a name. His wife was running towards him, arms wide open. They crashed into each other, the Minor plucking the slightly-smaller female right off the ground and spinning her around. They spun more than intended, overbalanced, and fell over, laughing the entire time. The Minor reached out and lovingly cupped his wife’s face in his hand.  
Blue’s feet touched the ground and she snapped out of her trance, blinking. ‘Ayanam thumped down next to her, looking around.  
“They said they couldn’t come,” he told her. “There’s a Phantom waiting to take us to the keep.”  
Blue spotted said Phantom and walked to it, following ‘Ayanam. They boarded, and the Phantom took off. It seemed that they were the only ones heading in this direction.  
They sat in silence as the Phantom flew. ‘Ayanam had crossed his arms and was tapping a finger nervously against his armor.  
“I have to warn you about my grandmother,” he suddenly spoke up. “I mentioned before...after her husband died, she changed. It was a long process, but her mind is leaving her. She is not forgetful, at least beyond what is normal for her age. But, she can act...strange. Her sense of honor and manners is leaving her.” He didn’t say more after that, mandibles shut tight like he always did when he was embarrassed (and trying to hide it).  
“I won’t be offended,” Blue promised. “I’ve dealt with every behavior pattern under the sun. I’ve...I’ve dealt with BTS in his earlier life. After that, nothing comes to offend me. Honestly, he used to be really bad.”  
“I am relieved to hear that,” ‘Ayanam replied quietly. He didn’t say anything else.  
Blue frowned and looked away. After a moment, she said, “Who of your family lives in the keep?”  
‘Ayanam looked up, but not at her. “My grandmother, as I said before. Her daughters, my aunts, live with her. There are five of them; two have children and husbands still here. The rest have lost their husbands to the war, and their children have gone elsewhere. Then there are my mother’s sisters and brothers...It is not always customary for a wife’s family to follow her to another keep, but it is a way to move up in society, so it occurs with frequency, which is why my mother’s sisters are here instead of their familiar keeps. The three brothers have younglings here, so their wives live with them as well. The fathers do not raise the children...are you familiar with our family customs?”  
Blue nodded. “I talked to Shipmaster ‘Mahom about them, shortly. The children never know their fathers.”  
‘Ayanam nodded. “Correct. In my keep, the mothers are known, since we are not a large family. In very large families, everyone is either an aunt or uncle. Sometimes, the father does raise his children, but they will never know his true identity. At least, not until they are older and beyond the stages where their sense of loyalty to the keep is not yet solidified. But, many will never know.” He shrugged. “I have never met my father, at least that I know of. I have met his brothers, my uncles. That was when I was very young; since then, two have died in combat. The one who survived lives with us, along with my mother’s brothers and one brother-in-law.” He shrugged. “He could be my father, or could not. That is not for me to know.”  
“Do you have any siblings?” Blue asked. It seemed like he would; so far, the Sangheili families were very children-heavy. Trying to make a family tree out of the ‘Ayanams was straining her brain.  
He nodded. “I have a younger sister. Her name is Isa.” His amber eyes were warm when he said her name.  
Blue smiled. Awww…the big, tough guy absolutely adores his little sister. How cute.  
“Coming up on the ‘Riquan keep,” the Phantom pilot called. “Prepare to disembark.”  
The Phantom slowed and descended, rear hatch opening. ‘Ayanam and Blue stood, and she got her first glimpse of the rocky keep.  
The wind was blowing hard, so spray from the waterfall to the south of the keep was being blown up the sides of the nearby gorge, backdropping the keep in mist. The buildings were all stone, surrounded by a well-weathered wall with four watchtowers, one at each corner. Blue’s sharp eyes spotted Sangheili lookouts in the towers, armed with long, lancelike weapons not unlike what the Honor Guards on High Charity carried, though these weapons were more practical than those large and somewhat cumbersome staves.  
Around the keep were numerous other buildings, some alone or in clusters. Wooden farmhouses, stout stone structures, and even what looked like a windmill. Much of the surrounding area was fields, many filled with tall, amber plants that reminded Blue of Earth’s wheat. A Kig-Yar worker emerged from the stalks, having heard the sound of the Phantom.  
She heard cheering; looking left, she saw an older Sangheili and a bunch of Unggoy come streaming out of a large farmhouse, waving at the Phantom.  
“That your family?” Blue questioned curiously.  
‘Ayanam shook his head. “That is Ra’en. He is in charge of the Unggoy servants here. We hired him after the Unggoy became disruptive when Thresh ‘Riquan took over the keep. They will listen to him because he is a childhood friend of my grandmother and her late husband.”  
“Disembark when ready,” the Phantom pilot called. The ship was hovering around ten feet from the ground, kicking up dust.  
‘Ayanam took a deep breath, and jumped out the back of the Phantom, into the sunlight.  
Blue waited a moment before leaving as well, crouching at the edge of the hatch. She wanted the Shipmaster to have his moment of return to himself.  
The bright sun glinted almost blindingly off his golden armor. Ra’en and his Unggoy were cheering wildly, the littler creatures running eagerly across the fields to greet the returning warrior. The guards up in the watchtowers banged the hilts of their staffs against the stone floor in approval, roaring. It occurred to Blue that ‘Ayanam’s family might not have heard anything from him in a long time; his adventures, his health, and his successes as well. Not only was one of their own now returning, alive and healthy, but also wearing the golden armor of a general. It was a great honor.  
The gates of the keep creaked and slowly began to open, revealing more cheering individuals inside. ‘Ayanam strode towards them, and the cheering intensified. Heads poked up over the walls of the keep, Unggoy and Sangheili. Once the gap in the doors got wide enough, people started pushing through.  
The Unggoy from the field had reached ‘Ayanam, gathering around him and cheering. Ra’en, obviously a bit elderly, came puffing after them. He stopped, respectfully inclining his head to the Shipmaster.  
Someone yelled his name, loudly. His head snapped up, and he yelled back. Blue heard the word: Isa.  
A small figure pushed past two of the other Sangheili at the gate and went sprinting towards ‘Ayanam, shrieking. Judging by her size, she still had to be a youngling. ‘Ayanam had never mentioned how old his sister was; Blue had just assumed the two would be closer in age. The smaller Sangheili had grey skin lighter than that of her brother’s, and even from Blue’s distance she could see that she had brighter yellow eyes.  
‘Ayanam started running as well. Isa took a flying leap, soaring through the air with arms outstretched. ‘Ayanam caught her and wrapped her in a massive hug. She was easily two feet shorter than her brother, so her feet couldn’t even reach the ground. The flying leap was very justified.  
More of ‘Ayanam’s family had gotten out of the gate, coming to greet him. He put Isa down and approached them, calling out his own greetings. The group congregated around him, cheering.  
He turned. Not seeing Blue, he looked back up to the Phantom, and gestured for her to come down. He pointed to the ship, so all eyes turned to it.  
The Ascendant jumped out the back of the Phantom. The hot sunlight struck her back, gleaming off her silver-armored skin. The ground rushed up, and she landed, bending her legs as puffs of dust went up around her feet. She straightened, holding her narrow head high. The area had gone silent.  
Then, the Unggoy started cheering wildly. They rushed towards her, practically throwing themselves on the ground at her feet, raining her with so many praises she could barely tell what she was saying. She laughed, crouching, and extended her arms.  
“There is no need to grovel,” she said to them, voice happy. “I would rather greet you as friends rather than subordinates. Rise, my good Unggoy! I am overjoyed to be among you.”  
They hastily got off their knees, not wanting to offend her. But her warm smile, sparkling eyes, told them she wasn’t even near offended, and they started cheering again, clapping their hands and pointing excitedly. After a moment, the Sangheili joined with their voices as well.  
Blue rose. The crowd had parted; one Sangheili was walking towards her. She knew immediately this must be Kria ‘Riquan, though as the keep’s elder, he had taken the name of ‘Vadam in place of his own. He was flanked by two guards, and carried his own weapons as well.  
“Ascendant Blue,” he greeted her with an eloquent bow, inclining his head deeply. “I humbly welcome you into my keep, a place not worthy to be touched by your holy feet. I hope you will find it comfortable, though rustic.”  
The draconic was somewhat shocked by the almost extreme greeting, but ‘Ayanam had her back. He discreetly put his hand over the shielding device on the left side of his chestpiece, activating its transmitter function.  
 _Just play along. Always refer to him by the title of “Elder” unless he says otherwise. And remember: Easily. Offended._  
Blue gave no sign of having received the message, but sent a quick thank-you to ‘Ayanam as a reply.  
“I am honored to be invited into your keep, Elder” she told Kria, inclining her own head. “I am sure I will be very comfortable here, among friends.”  
He inclined his head again. “We are deeply honored for you to consider us as such, Ascendant, for we are not worthy of such a title. But to no matter; we will celebrate your coming in the grandest of manners,” he briefly looked at ‘Ayanam, “and the return of our Shipmaster as well.” He looked back to Blue. “Here, let us escort you to your quarters. We have set aside an apartment for you, within the keep’s best living areas.”  
Blue nodded. “Please, lead me there. I cannot wait to see what beauty hides within the walls of this keep.”  
Pleased by her easy replies, Kria nodded and turned, gesturing for her to follow. The guards turned as well, and the draconic had no choice but to follow.  
She caught ‘Ayanam’s eye. _I’ll get away from him as soon as I can, and come back to the family I’m actually here to see._  
Kria fell in step beside her as they strode through the gates. She could feel him looking her up and down, considering what he believed appropriate to ask her.  
“So, what has become of High Charity, under your rule?” he asked before the silence stretched on too long. “We have yet to know the full story; all we know is from the transmissions we received outlining our betrayal by the San’Shyuum and bastard Jiralhanae, and the salvation of our holy city from the Flood by a warrior clad in silver.” His eyes lingered on her tucked wings. “We are in debt to you, for you have saved the lives of millions, including those of our own keep.”  
“High Charity aims to become a safe haven for those fleeing war-torn lands,” Blue told him. “A place where your origins do not matter, as long as you seek peace through your actions and are true in your loyalty.”  
“A noble quest indeed,” Kria commented promptly; Blue wondered if the response was canned. “I wish you well in your pursuits.” He lifted a hand, gesturing around him. “Welcome to the ‘Riquan keep, Ascendant. These walls have guarded us for generations, and will now guard you.”  
Blue could place a bet that she could defend herself better than the old walls could, but she wouldn’t say anything on that matter, lest she offend the elder. “It is splendid, Elder.”  
“Please, you may refer to me by my name,” Kria told her. “You far outrank me, in both martial and cultural terms.” He pointed to a wide-roofed building, off to their right. “Beyond that porch is our largest courtyard, used for training and gathering. We will have a ceremonial evening there, to honor your arrival. It will be a feast like no other!”  
He was really trying to get on her good side. Everything, his manner of speech, his gestures, the things he pointed out, they were well-designed. He was good at this.  
“May I have permission to wander this compound at my own discretion, after being settled?” the draconic asked. “I would love to look around.”  
“Of course!” Kria said. “I would give you a tour myself, but I am far too busy, unfortunately. I can arrange for another to show you around.”  
Blue nodded gratefully, planning in the back of her mind to find her tour guide under her own terms, rather than be planted with one of Kria’s underlings. She wanted to see the keep for what it was, not the doctored version.  
The elder extended his hand, pointing to the building in front of them, from which a cobblestone path led to the gate. “This is where you will be staying, within the same building I reside in. It is still not worthy of your presence, but it is the best we have.”  
“I’m sure it will do quite well,” Blue replied, looking up at the building. It was about forty feet tall, making it higher than the rest of the buildings in the compound. The watchtowers on the exterior were about the same height. The walls themselves were rectangular, so the buildings were designed to fit well into such a space, unlike the smooth, organic building aesthetic that existed on High Charity. And the color scheme was very different as well; the buildings had the color of the rock and stone they were made from, warm, earthy reds and browns.  
The entrance to the building was an open arch, leading to a roofed courtyard. Tall, open windows adorned the walls, letting in plenty of light. It was a scenic, peaceful cloyster inside the walls.  
“This is my private courtyard,” Kria told her. “You are invited to use it to your needs. There is also a library within this building you may explore as well.”  
There were two members of Kria’s family sparring in the courtyard; they stopped once they saw him and knelt respectfully. He gestured for them to rise and return to practice.  
“The ‘Riquan lineage is one of honor and purpose,” Kria said proudly. “Many of us served with the Covenant, and sacrificed their lives to protect us. Today, we continue to train and prepare our defenses for future wars to come. Oh, and I hope you find the frescos on the walls here delightful to observe; they detail some of my ancestors’ greatest achievements. I would be honored to tell you about them.”  
Blue sighed innerly. It seemed like the escort to her room was going to turn into a full-on tour.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	17. 2.15: The General

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's not all that much information around, as far as I'm aware, on Sangheili culture and customs, so I made a lot of stuff up. These parts of the story were some of my favorites to write, so I hope they come across well!

2.15: The General

“Thank goodness I’ve dealt with people like him before,” Blue muttered to ‘Ayanam as they walked through the hallway of his family’s residence.  
“You will get used to his mannerisms,” ‘Ayanam promised. “Unfortunately, we must all play up to him.”  
The Shipmaster had taken off his golden armor, storing it safely within his own bedchambers. He’d changed into clothing more suitable for the heat, a loincloth and a shawl-like top that went over his left shoulder and under his right arm, creating no restriction to his motions, lest he needed to pick up a weapon and start fighting at any instant. It fell loose over his torso, rippling every time the breeze hit him. Without armor, Blue noticed he had short, bony ridges on his elbows and hocks, almost like uplifted scales. He had a similar ridge down the center of his chest; she noted that the females she’d seen so far seemed to lack these ridges. But otherwise, they were very difficult to tell apart by sight.  
He had also donned sandal-like shoes made of animal hide, similar to leather. Because he only had two toes, the shoes reminded Blue of human flip-flops. Making them bright pink in her mind was entertaining.  
“My family is gathered in our interior courtyard,” ‘Ayanam told her. “We are almost there.”  
They rounded a corner and the smooth stone floor of the courtyard appeared through the arched entryway. It was very similar to Kria’s courtyard, with tall windows that left the place well-lit, and a nice breeze that moved through them. The reddish stone was weathered and faded from generations in the sun and heat.  
They entered, and all of ‘Ayanam’s relatives started cheering again. He raised his hand for silence, after giving them a moment.  
“Thank you, dear family, for the kind reunion,” he began. “But as you know, I did not return here alone. I would like to introduce you to High Charity’s leader and trusted friend: Blue, the Lupine Ascendant.”  
The gathered crowd cheered, raucous in their approval. The childlings stared at Blue with huge eyes.  
“Thank you, thank you,” Blue said to them once they quieted, feeling uplifted by their excitement. “I’m honored to be here...I can’t wait to meet you all. I was blessed to have been found by Shipmaster ‘Ayanam rather than any other.”  
An elderly Sangheili female hobbled up to Blue, using a crooked wooden cane to assist her walk. Her skin was light grey in color and she had grey eyes, making her seem like she had faded with time. She squinted at Blue, looking her up and down. Well, mostly down. Even with a back hunched by age, the Sangheili was taller than her.  
“She is smaller than I thought she would be,” the elderly Sangheili proclaimed.  
“Grandma!” ‘Ayanam scolded. “That is rude of you to say!”  
“Hmph,” the elderly Sangheili muttered. “Well, she doesn’t seem very offended.”  
Blue chuckled, smiling up at the elder. “I’m not offended by comments on my size. I know I’m small. It’s deceiving.”  
“Blue, this is my grandmother, Mumtaz ‘Ayanam,” ‘Ayanam introduced the old Sangheili, still smoldering a bit. He glared at his grandma one more time.  
Blue inclined her head respectfully. “I’m honored to meet you, Mumtaz. I have heard great things about you.”  
“Huh,” Mumtaz snorted. “So my grandson has not been disavowing me left and right. Nice to know.” She turned and shuffled away, as ‘Ayanam winced a bit. As she passed him, she lifted her cane and poked him in the stomach. “She hasn’t been feeding you well, has she?”  
“Grandma!” ‘Ayanam protested. “Nobody feeds me but myself. I am not a childling anymore.”  
“I still remember I had to cut your food for you well beyond the age most childlings learned to eat on their own,” Mumtaz waved her finger at him. “I was so worried you would never amount to anything much. But you surprised me, and I am dearly proud of you for it.” She poked him a second time, harder, before walking away.  
‘Ayanam reproachfully rubbed his stomach. “Strange way of showing it, she has,” he muttered under his breath, before moving on to introduce the rest of his family.  
Something tugged on her tail. Blue turned her head, knowing it could only be one of the childlings. The small Sangheili froze when he noticed Blue looking at him, his green eyes getting really big.  
“Oh dear, Ytan!” the mother noticed where her child had wandered to, and rushed over to scoop him up. “You bad childling.” she looked apologetically at Blue, almost fearfully.  
“He is adorable,” the draconic said warmly, surprised to see how cautious the mother’s eyes were. “Actually, I have a bit of a random request for you. Would you and your sisters mind teaching me how to raise a childling?” She shook her head sadly. “The recent wars and my ventures have left me with a young orphan to care for.”  
“Of course, Ascendant,” the Sangheili replied respectfully. Her voice, like Mumtaz’s, was different than those of the males, still guttural in nature, but softer and slightly higher in pitch. “We would be honored.”  
“These are my aunts,” ‘Ayanam said, gesturing to the group of seven females. “Shewa, Bal’me, Vaya, Shoxi, Koxa, Ul’e, and Heta.” Vaya and Shoxi were accompanied by husbands, though all the males were gathered together in a separate group, so they weren’t visibly identified as partners. Blue had an urge to look into their minds to figure out who was married to who, and even though that was probably intrusive, gave into the urge.  
Shewa and Bal’me’s husbands had both died in the war. Their kids had since moved away, into marriage or service at another keep, or to the war. Vaya had her two youngest in the keep, with the rest of her children gone. All of Shoxi’s kids were here - four of them. Koxa was still single, though she was seeking.  
Ul’e and Heta were the two maternal aunts, Ul’e the oldest yet still single, acting as Mumtaz’s personal aide. Heta had a husband, and was carrying the developing egg of their first child.  
“And these are my uncles,” ‘Ayanam continued, gesturing to the group of males. There were only three of them, compared to seven aunts. “Ruzam, N’thas, and Xysan. Ruzam is a retired Covenant Ultra. N’thas served as a Minor until his honorable discharge after being crippled in a shipwreck. Xysan retired from the military to care for his brother, having achieved the rank of Major before leaving.”  
So there was heavy military history among the ‘Ayanams. N’thas had to use a cane to walk, his twisted left leg barely able to take any weight at all. His brother stood close to him, loyalty unwavering. Both were accompanied by wives; Ruzam’s wife was dead.  
That was unusual; the husbands, of course, were being lost to the war, but the wives had no such problems. But Blue decided not to press the issue, knowing it would be rude to pry through such heartbreaking memories.  
“My in-laws are here as well,” ‘Ayanam moved to introduce those who had married into his family. “They reside within this keep, having left their own for a more favorable one.” He gestured to Vaya and Shoxi’s husbands, who stood with the rest of the uncles. “Rtere and N’viro on my father’s side, and Thol, Raia, Koia, and Thuwe on my mother’s.”   
The three male in-laws were not from military backgrounds; they had chosen to migrate to their wive’s keep in order to take on the more prestigious name. Raia was the one with the childling who’d tugged Blue’s tail. Thuwe, the oldest, was a widow, all her children moved away. Her youngest was at a war college, training to join the Swords of Sanghelios.  
“Last, I will introduce my sister, Isa ‘Ayanam,” ‘Ayanam said. “I would include the children, but there are too many of them for me to keep track of, so you will have to speak to the mothers for their names.” He chuckled, as did some of the other males. Isa waved happily at Blue from where she stood with the other women.  
Mumtaz banged her cane against the ground, signifying that she wanted to speak. The crowd respectfully turned to her.  
“We are as strong as we are thanks to the grace of Uxil ‘Casan, who told his small family to pack their possessions and move to ‘Ayanam after his daughter married my son,” she declared. “From their union, they brought together two great families who lived by trust and determination. From this union, this keep has raised a grandchild who has brought us great honor. Roc ‘Ayanam, your name will forever be inscribed on the ‘Ayanam saga wall, along with a lyrical description of the great deeds you have done. You not only achieved the prestigious rank of general, but you gained command of your own ship, and your own fleet. And you were pivotal in allowing the Ascendant to save High Charity from the Prophets.” She bowed her head, and the rest of the family did the same, even the children. ‘Ayanam looked across them, awestruck by the accolades he had not expected. His amber eyes fell on Blue; she smiled, and bowed her own head, touching her fingers between her eyes.  
“I…” ‘Ayanam struggled to find the right words to say. “I am proud to have brought honor to this keep. I am humbled to be considered worthy for the saga wall.”  
“You are more than worthy,” the uncle Ruzam declared. “You achieved more during service with the Covenant than any of us.” He raised one hand to the sky, pointing to the space beyond. “A general! Your military prowess and combat skill have always been astounding. We are so proud of you.”  
“Yay Roc!” Isa cheered. “My brother is a general!”  
“Tomorrow evening, we will feast among the residents of this keep and its lands,” Ruzam continued. “Roc will be honored, and we will carve his name into the saga wall. Then, we will celebrate long into the night, the return of our brother, and the coming of the Ascendant!”  
The declaration was met by rounds of uproarious approval. ‘Ayanam stood tall, amber eyes shining. He lifted his own fist and joined them, roaring to the sky.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	18. 2.16: The Warriors

2.16: The Warriors

Blue’s quarters were obnoxiously near those of Kria, so he could visit her whenever he wanted. She resolved to avoid them as much as possible; there was just something about how Kria bowed and phrased his words to her that made her uncomfortable. So she was nowhere near her room, even as night fell and the rest of the keep started to seek the comfort of sleep.  
 _I’m not sure what it is...but there’s just something about how he speaks to me I don’t like. Maybe I’m just overreacting, with how ‘Ayanam has spoken of him. Maybe I just need to give him a chance._  
She didn’t have to sleep, and she’d much rather show herself around and get to know the keep. She’d only seen what was aboveground; there was much more below her feet, tunnels carved through the rock. The Unggoy servants lived down there, along with the keep’s storage and saga wall. If she walked to the cliff face and looked down, she could see arched windows carved into the stone. There was much more to the keep than met the eye down there.  
She had to look down from the top of the outer wall to see the windows in the cliff face. The keep had walls on all sides, though the back one lined the clifftop and really wasn’t that necessary with the giant drop right behind it. The gorge itself was the best wall possible, at least against grounded attackers.  
The keep had three square courtyards behind the massive one used for large gatherings, separated by roofed halls. These three were for combat training, she had been told. On the south side of the keep there was a long, rectangular courtyard for ballistic weapons practice. The rest of the keep’s interior spaces were used for living; ‘Ayanam’s family lived in the shorter buildings, aboveground. The keep had other spaces, like kitchens and bathrooms, as well. It did, in fact, have a washhouse, which Blue was thankful for. She’d run into plenty of Sangheili on High Charity that probably hadn’t bathed for weeks, and they stank of wet leather. Then again, her nose was very sensitive. Maybe they couldn’t smell each other like she did.  
She was up on the back wall, watching the stars. One of the lookouts walked by her, on his way to relieve the guard currently in the northwest tower. He nodded respectfully to her as she passed. She returned the gesture.  
She could feel the wind coming up the side of the gorge, up the wall. It was strong, but quiet. It smelled of dry, but fresh air, clear and warm like starlight.  
She turned, considering returning to her quarters to actually sleep. She hadn’t slept a whole night in a long time. Not that she felt tired, but a long rest would do well to sooth her consciousness.  
Her eye caught movement in the dark, in the corner of the nearest courtyard. A head poked out from the shadows, watching the guard enter the tower. Once he was gone, the figure crept back onto the grass.  
It was so dark, Blue doubted the guards would have even seen the small Sangheili creeping around in the courtyard. She narrowed her eyes. It was Isa, ‘Ayanam’s younger sister, down in the courtyard, alone.  
She took a step back, and then broke into a run. She jumped over the inner edge of the wall, soaring over the gap between it and the nearest roof. She landed quietly, like a cat, and crawled to the peak of the roof.  
Isa had removed the tunic-like piece of clothing she’d worn before, and was down to just a loincloth. She was holding one of the wooden training staffs Blue knew the Sangheili used.  
 _She’s combat training...in secret?_ That much was obvious.  
She knew the women of the keep received basic combat training. Was Isa even old enough for that stage? Perhaps the youngling was just overly eager.  
She spread her wings and glided into the courtyard, landing with a soft thud. Isa jumped with shock, eyes going wide when she spotted her. She scrambled back, free hand in front of her and the other hand back, keeping the staff behind her.  
“I just noticed you training in the dark,” the draconic explained herself. She hadn’t meant to scare the young Sangheili. “I couldn’t help but be curious. It must be awfully lonely, training by yourself.”  
“Well, it is the only time I get to train,” Isa replied defensively. Up close, Blue could see that they were almost the same height. The age gap between her and her brother must have been very substantial, for her to be so far from him in physical development.  
The draconic held up her hands placatingly, bowing her head. “I don’t mean to challenge you. I was just curious.”  
“Oh,” Isa said, looking down, ashamed of her disrespectful manner of speaking. “I am sorry, Ascendant. I should not have spoken like that to you.”  
“Please, just call me Blue,” the draconic asked kindly. “I am not one for titles.”  
Isa nodded obediently, yellow eyes faintly curious. “You are very humble. Usually all the leaders I meet are full of themselves.”  
Blue couldn’t help but think of Kria. “Well, I have met the Arbiter, and he is not like those ones. He is a noble warrior, and respectful of all his people.”  
“Elder Kria speaks of him as if he is a god,” Isa muttered. “Though I think that is just because he is trying to gain his favor.” In an even quieter voice, she grumbled, “he’d kiss his ass if he asked him to.”  
Blue snorted, covering her mouth with a hand. Isa’s sense of humor was unorthodox. As were her words; the draconic doubted the others of the keep would take such an accusation lightly.  
Isa jumped a little. “You weren’t supposed to hear that!” she hissed.  
“I have very good ears,” the draconic replied, still grinning.  
Isa narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You do not like Kria, do you?”  
“I like him well enough,” Blue replied, not wanting to be disrespectful. “All things considered, so far, he does not seem that bad.”  
“He looks at me like I am a mutant,” the small Sangheili muttered angrily, fingers tightening on her staff. “He thinks I am useless.”  
Blue cocked her head, surprised. “Now why would that be?”  
Isa looked up, startled. “Roc did not tell you about me?”  
Blue shook her head, confusion increasing. “No, he said nothing about you, besides telling me you existed.”  
“Of course,” Isa growled, ducking and looking away. “Trying to hide me among the younglings, like he always does.” She shook her head angrily. “They act like I am a beacon of shame, just because my growth is stunted.” She looked at Blue, yellow eyes distressed. “I am only four years younger than Roc. I am no youngling.”  
The draconic’s eyes widened. So Isa was an adult; she wasn’t a youngling. But that made too much sense; otherwise, the years between her and ‘Ayanam would be unusual, unless they had more siblings. And it made even more sense, looking at her. She had none of the lanky, teenage characteristics of the younglings; she had the proportions of an adult, just on a smaller scale.  
“He told me about Mumtaz,” she said cautiously. “But I can fathom that her...her condition is more obvious.”  
Isa snorted and rolled her eyes. “Grandma’s mind is down the gully. She remembers everything, but chooses to forget. It is as if she has lost her care for this world.” She absentmindedly twirled the wooden staff she held. “I was not born when Grandfather died. But I have been told that is what started her downfall. And she has lost all of her brothers to the war, and two of her sons.” She stopped twirling the staff, eyes becoming sad. “After she gave up control of the keep, people stopped coming. ‘Ayanam had been an honorable name to carry. ‘Riquan was not. So while my aunts and uncles always brought their spouses back with them to live here, their children chose to leave. Roc went to the war because he did not want to stay in the keep.” Her eyes were wide, close to tears. “I-I was so afraid I would lose him.”  
“I think Roc has gained more respect for this keep,” Blue told her comfortingly. “He told me he is tired of the pity he gets for his family.”  
“Because it dishonors him,” Isa growled, swinging back to her anger. “He is blinded by his honor. Grandma is an embarrassment, and so am I. I am a sign of bad blood.”  
The draconic shut her jaws. Isa was right; she carried dangerous genes that had led to her dwarfism. It signalled a possible problem within the ‘Ayanam gene pool, one that would scare potential suitors away from the family. No wonder they tried to hide her.  
“I am forbidden to leave the compound,” the small Sangheili continued. “Everyone is worried I will hurt myself. Do not go there, Isa, they tell me. Do not do that, Isa, they say. Stay inside, where you are safe and nobody can see you.” She clutched the staff angrily. “Women my age would be seeking suitors now, working in the keep or in the fields. I should be making friends with other keeps and other families instead of sitting inside all day.”  
Blue reached out and put a hand on the Sangheili’s shoulder. Isa jumped a little, looking at her with wide eyes.  
“I am willing to try and assist your situation,” the draconic said quietly. “Whatever you think will convince your family to give you more freedom. You have a lot of spirit, that much is obvious. I would be glad to help you.”  
Isa raised an eyebrow a bit. “Everyone is usually offended by my attitude. They say I’m too brash, that I don’t think before I speak. That I’m too outspoken and emotional. But to you, it’s ‘spirit’.” She narrowed her eyes again. She was still suspicious, that much was obvious.  
Blue shrugged. “Spirit. Spunk. I have enough of my own, I’ve just learned when it’s appropriate and when it’s not.”   
“Can you teach me to fight?” Isa asked quietly, looking down at the ground.  
Blue nodded. “I can, if that is what will make you trust my intentions.”  
Isa jumped up and her face brimmed with happiness. “Oh, thank you so much! I can not believe the Ascendant is this interested in helping me…” she shook her head.  
“Hey, I’m just another person in this world,” Blue said, putting her hands up. “I live every, single day as it is, just like we all do.”  
Isa lifted her staff. “I watch my brother and my uncles train in these courtyards...at night, I come out here and copy what I have seen until I will never forget it. But it is so hard...these staffs are meant for adults. They are so cumbersome for me.”  
Blue held out her hand. “I can fix that.” Isa passed her the staff, and the Ascendant extended one of the blades on her right hand. The small Sangheili jumped back in surprise; Blue swung the blade down and neatly sliced two feet off of the staff. It clattered to the ground, and she held the now-shorter staff out to her companion.  
Isa took the staff nervously. “You have blades...in your hands?”  
Blue nodded, withdrawing the blade. “They’re my version of a melee weapon popular with my people. I have three in each hand, one on each foot, and one on the outer edge of each wing. They haven’t seen much use, since most fights I’ve gotten into have been ranged.”  
Isa’s eyes were still really big. “You are...you are not a normal being, are you?”  
Blue shook her head. “Not normal in the sense of flesh and bone. I am a synthesis of organic life and machine, though I will say how I became this way was an accident.” She held out her arm. “I am made of metal and energy, but I do bleed, like we all do.”  
Isa held out a hand tentatively, and touched the offered forearm. “It feels like metal...but you are warm, like you have skin.”  
“I’m a little weird,” the draconic apologized. “Sorry about that.”  
Isa chuckled brightly. “Oh, it is alright. You are helping me! That is all that matters.”  
“On that note,” Blue said, crossing her arms, “show me what you already know how to do, so I can get an idea of where I need to start in my teaching.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Days on Sanghelios were longer than that of Earth, but time still passed quickly. Isa was a hard worker; the determined Sangheili had memorized many drills from spying on her male relatives, but her execution was sloppy at best. Blue had no idea how she was supposed to get her into good shape before shore leave ended. Maybe it was just a pipe dream, and it had been naive of her to agree to such a thing.  
But she was determined, almost fanatically so. And Blue knew not to underestimate the power of determination.  
She returned to her quarters for the rest of the night, but didn’t sleep. She had too much to think about.  
Day-night cycles worked strangely on a planet with three suns. The main sun, Urs, which the planet orbited, determined what was truly “daytime”, though there were plenty of nights that never got past twilight because of the other two stars.  
This night had not been one of those nights. This night had been dark, and Blue wondered if Isa had to forgo her training on other nights that were not. That would make it even harder for her to learn properly.  
As Urs rose over the horizon, she found herself sitting on the small balcony off her apartment, crouched with her arms wrapped around her knees. In the distance, winged creatures flew, shrieking angrily at each other.  
The keep rose with the sun, so not a bit of daylight was wasted. They really didn’t have a choice; once the sun came up, the guards in the watchtowers sounded off on their horns. Anyone who could somehow sleep through the commotion would be woken by the rest of their family.  
Blue stood, grasping the railing of the balcony. She wanted to get out quickly, in case one of Kria’s aides came to find her. Thinking about the keep’s elder still made her uncomfortable, and the longer she was unable to put her finger on why, the worse it got.  
She jumped over the railing, turning around. Her feet grasped the edge of the balcony, her hands the railing. She turned her head, looking down at the nearest roof, a story or so below her.  
She jumped from the balcony, backwards, and landed on the roof with a thump. Someone inside cursed in surprise at the sudden noise; Blue quickly fled, leaving the person muttering angrily about wild avians.  
She trotted along the peak of the roof, heading for the nearest training courtyard, the best way to get to ground discreetly and make it to the ‘Ayanam family quarters.  
She walked off the edge of the roof and dropped into the courtyard. Even though the horns had just sounded, there were already two Sangheili training on the grass, sparring with the wooden staffs.  
Blue had told Isa to hide the shortened staff in a safe place; they couldn’t replace the broken item with the rest. Hopefully it wouldn’t be missed.  
The two sparring individuals, Rtere and ‘Nviro, stopped when the draconic dropped into the courtyard; they turned to her and inclined their heads respectfully.  
“Please, go on,” she told them, inclining her head. “No need to stop training for me.”  
Two more Sangheili marched into the courtyard with staffs; one was ‘Ayanam. He, along with the rest of the trainees, had stripped to just loincloths, like Isa had.  
“Good morning, Ascendant,” ‘Ayanam greeted her. “I hope you slept well?”  
“I didn’t sleep at all, as usual,” the draconic snorted humorously. “I was hoping to, but I had way too many things to think about.”  
“Understandable, for one of your position,” ‘Ayanam replied agreeably.  
“Ascendant, would you care to practice with us?” the accompanying Sangheili, the uncle Ruzam, offered. “Roc has told us you are a fighter unrivaled by any other. We would be honored to learn from you.”  
Blue nodded, smiling at the unexpected invite. “And I would be honored to learn from you as well! I am sure our styles of combat greatly differ, so we will have much to share.” She was also thinking about Isa; if she knew how the Sangheili taught combat, she could pass those lessons on with more efficiency.  
“We will wait until the rest get here,” Ruzam declared, referring to the other three males not currently in the courtyard. He looked at ‘Ayanam. “I have long called the drills in these courtyards, being of the highest military rank in this family. But now, that you are home, that responsibility falls to you.”  
‘Ayanam nodded dutifully. “I will lead this session with pride.”  
Xysan appeared in the doorway, carrying his staff. N’thas limped after him; Blue was curious to see if the crippled Sangheili still participated in drills, and if he did, how capable he still was. Thol, the youngest of the group, came in last.  
“We will begin with warm-up drills,” ‘Ayanam declared as the Sangheili all lined up with their staffs. He walked to Blue and handed her one.  
“You will need this,” he said. “It is one of the smallest we have; there was nothing better for your stature. It will have to do.”  
She took the staff, feeling how it balanced in her hand. It was near the length of her earthshaker, which was eight feet tall including the blade. She spun it neatly in her hand; the feeling of wielding such a long weapon wasn’t unusual. “It shall do very well, thank you.”  
‘Ayanam walked to the front of the line, facing them. “Attention stance!”  
He spun his staff out, so it was grasped in both hands and parallel to the ground in front of him. The rest of the class did the same, as did Blue. N’thas was using his staff one-handed, other clutching the cane.  
‘Ayanam remained in the front of the group for the drills, so Blue could follow him. Otherwise, he would’ve joined with the rest of the line, calling from the center. They moved quickly, up and down the courtyard. She fell into the rhythm, eyes narrow.  
The use of the staff reminded her of how Lupine martial artists practiced to use an earthshaker, though the latter weapon’s practice staves were weighted on one end to represent the metal blades. She had to concentrate hard to not compensate for the extra weight, which now did not exist. Many of the moves were similar to art forms she already knew, but some were not.  
She wasn’t sure how long the drills lasted, but it was a good workout. They took a moment’s break, and then ‘Ayanam paired them up to spar.  
“You will be with me,” he told Blue. “I will explain to you how this process works.”  
He paired up the rest, putting Rtere and Ruzam together, N’viro with Thol, and N’thas with Xysan.  
“How nice it is that, when Roc returns to make this group odd, he brings along another to make sparring matches even,” N’viro commented. “So thoughtful of him!”  
“It was a good thought indeed,” Xysan laughed agreeably.  
“This is where we take our drills and apply them,” ‘Ayanam told Blue. “In training younglings, they do not spar until many months of just drills have passed, and that is only after they have achieved adequate skill in openhand combat. But I know you learn fast, and are talented enough for this.”  
“What’s the rules on contact?” the draconic asked. “Hits, no hits? Though I think I can guess the answer.”  
“Hold nothing back, save for what will cause lasting injury,” ‘Ayanam replied stoically. “If you do not move fast enough, you will be punished. If your technique is bad, you will feel the sting of a superior opponent. And if your control is lacking, you will be humbled.” He held his staff out in front of him. “It is as much about working with your opponent as against them. This will be a timed match, so focus more on your technique than on overpowering your opponent.”  
He dropped into a stance, spinning the staff out to his side. “We will do a short match to start. Ready on my mark!”  
The other Sangheili dropped into their stances, staffs going up. Blue bent her legs, holding her staff defensively in front of her.  
“Commence!” ‘Ayanam roared, and charged at Blue.  
The staff swung at her head from the left; she blocked it and pushed it away, turning her shoulder. ‘Ayanam brought it back around with incredible speed, and she ducked the strike, feeling it whistle past her horns. She jabbed her staff at his legs, but he parried the strike. He moved so fast, it was almost as if he had two staffs instead of one.  
She had never thought about how skilled he would be in combat. But he had to be; in order to achieve the rank of General, he would’ve had to survive countless battles and slain countless enemies. He needed to prove himself with every chance to reach that rank.  
She’d failed to ask what else she could use in the fight; fists, feet, and so on. She wanted to risk a peek at what the other sparring pairs were doing, but she knew that would only result in her taking a staff to the head. She’d wait to see what ‘Ayanam would do.  
She backed up, ‘Ayanam chasing after her. She strafed left, moving faster than he could see. She spun her staff, holding it mostly one-handed, like how she used her earthshaker. ‘Ayanam and the other Sangheili used their weapons mostly two-handed; it increased their speed and power, but reduced their striking range in some situations. But ‘Ayanam was skilled enough, it really didn’t matter.  
She had aimed for his legs again; he blocked her, but she was moving around him too fast for him to block her next strike. She aimed for his ankles; the staff cracked against the side of his foot. He grunted, stumbling, foot coming off the ground. Blue backed off, letting him regain footing and turn, which he did almost instantly, shaking off the pain.  
He held up his hand. “That is enough!”  
The other pairs stopped sparring as well. Nobody was breathing heavy; they’d fought for much longer than this before.  
“That is the general idea,” he said to Blue. “Next, we can -”  
A youngling came sprinting into the courtyard, waving his hands. He skidded to a stop, doubling over, panting from exertion.  
“The Arbiter is coming!” he gasped. “The Arbiter is coming!”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	19. 2.17: The Arbiter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My college has officially closed for the rest of the semester because of COVID-19; to everyone else affected by this pandemic, I hope you're staying safe and healthy. As a last semester senior, it really sucks that everything, all the great things that come with the end of someone's college career, have just been swiftly taken from us. But in the light of this pandemic, it may be for the better. We just gotta make the most of it.

2.17: The Arbiter

The youngling couldn’t speak any more, he was breathing so hard. He sank to the ground, eyes really wide. Once he got his breath back, he panted, “I...I saw his procession...at...at the oxbow. He...he sent a runner, but I beat him here.”  
“The Arbiter?” Ruzam exclaimed. “Are you sure?”  
“Go find your aunts, Skjot,” N’viro ordered. “Get some water, before you pass out.”  
The youngling nodded breathlessly. He picked himself off the ground and turned away, walking much slower.  
‘Ayanam looked at his uncles. “We will have to end this here, for now. We can resume in the afternoon or evening, situation permitting.”  
The group broke ranks, everyone scattering in different directions to prepare for the coming of the Arbiter. They vanished incredibly fast.  
 _Kria must be shitting himself with excitement,_ Blue thought to herself, and then chided herself for the BTS-like comment. Without the black tiger around, she felt a void where his sarcastic humor usually was. She could make the same comments, but they just didn’t feel as appropriate coming from her mouth.  
The courtyard cleared out in a matter of seconds. Blue was left with her staff; she quickly checked the nearest mind to figure out where they were stored.  
After she put the wooden practice weapon away, she headed back to the courtyard. With a leap, she took to the air, trying to find out where everyone had gone.  
The keep was gathering in the open area between the gate and Kria’s tower. Most of the ‘Ayanams were already there, and any servants that weren’t currently taking care of other things. Off-duty guards, cooks, and the like. Out in the fields, Unggoy and Kig-Yar looked up as the Arbiter’s runner passed, emblazoned in crimson and gold that identified his position.  
Blue landed behind the crowd and jogged up; immediately she realized she’d see nothing from the back, being one-to-two feet shorter than practically everyone else there.  
“Ascendant!”  
She looked up; Isa was on the front wall, above the gate. She waved Blue up, inviting her to join her. She flew up, landing next to the small Sangheili.  
“You will not see anything down there,” Isa promised. “This is a much better spot to watch from.”  
“Who told you about the Arbiter?” Blue asked.  
“Raia,” Isa told her. “Skjot went to Kria first, and one of his aides told her. How did you find out?”  
“I was sparring with Roc and Skjot ran into the courtyard,” Blue replied. “Poor kid was ready to faint from exhaustion, he ran so fast.”  
“Kria is shitting himself with excitement,” Isa said, peering over the wall. “He is in his chambers, getting ready.”  
Blue chuckled, shaking her head at how the small Sangheili had echoed her own thoughts. “I had the same thought.”  
“Do you know why the Arbiter is coming?” Isa asked curiously.  
The draconic shrugged. “He may want to talk to me, in person. Though the fact he has come here makes me think he wants to see Roc as well.”  
Isa’s eyes got big. “It is a grand honor for such a leader to visit his people like this.” She looked down at what she was wearing, a simple tunic-like piece of clothing, sleeveless and knee-length. “Oh dear, I should probably change into a nicer outfit…” she fled without another word, leaving Blue alone.  
The runner appeared from behind the rocky ridges, speeding towards the keep. The guards called out, hailing him. He stopped before the gate, waiting to be let in.   
Kria came dashing out of his front door, followed closely by distressed aides. They pushed through the crowd and stopped at the gate. Kria huffed, straightening the cloak he had clasped over his shoulders.  
“Let him in,” he called out to the guards. They nodded, and the gate began to creak open.  
The runner strode in through the gap created, approaching Kria. He knelt before the elder.  
“I come bearing a greeting from the Arbiter,” he declared. “He wishes to visit your keep for the afternoon. He is coming to converse with the Ascendant, who walks among you, and to congratulate your returning warriors.”  
“You may rise,” Kria instructed. “When shall the Arbiter arrive? We will be ready to receive him with honor.”  
“At noon,” the runner replied. “He asks you to forgive him for the short notice.”  
Kria nodded. “All is forgiven, brother. Come; sit in the shade and have a drink.” He passed the runner to one of his aides to care for.  
“We will have to postpone the returning festivities until tomorrow night, unfortunately,” the elder announced to the crowd. “We must spend all our energies towards preparing for the arrival of our most honorable leader!”  
The crowd turned back into a flurry, servants teaming up and heading out, already knowing what they had to do. Runners sprinted from the keep, off to tell their neighbors that the celebration had been postponed. And to boast about their visitor.  
Blue leapt down and joined the crowd, finding one of the aunts to offer her help to. She was sent off with a point of the finger, and into decorating she went. In the chaos before an event, even the grandest of titles faded from importance.  
The ability to fly made her suitable for such a task; their work went much faster without needing to climb all over the keep to hang ribbons on the walls and paper lanterns from the cornices. Once that was done, she was hustled into cleaning, and helped speed that along as well. Hours passed in a blur.  
The sun was at its peak in the sky. Kria was nervously pacing the front wall, dressed in his finest clothing. He would stare at the horizon for a moment, look away, pace, and look back again, anxiously grasping the edge of the wall each time.  
“Is the food prepared?” he asked his aide for the third time. She nodded patiently.  
“Yes, Elder,” she said. “The food is prepared. The floors are spotless. The decorations are hung, lanterns lit. We are ready to receive the Arbiter.”  
He was so anxious, it made strong sympathy bubble in the draconic’s chest, chasing away the aversion she still had towards him. “Let me ease your mind,” she offered, hopping up onto the wall. “This place is already beautiful, but I can make it perfect.”  
She snapped her fingers, channeling the power of Sangheilos’ three suns through the air. The fire in the paper lanterns turned crimson and gold, alternating in their lines. The strings from which the lanterns hung turned clear, so it seemed as if the lanterns were floating. Upon the ground, lining the red carpet they’d rolled out across the cobblestone walk, white and gold flower petals appeared, gently resting on the grass.  
“That is gorgeous, Ascendant,” Kria said, eyes widening at the spectacle of power. “Thank you.” He still sounded terse, but perhaps a little less so.  
The guard at the northeast tower cried out, pointing towards the horizon. Dust was being kicked up there, signalling the movement of many people.  
“They come!” Kria announced, grabbing the edge of the wall very tightly.  
The servants in the fields put down their tools and ran to the edge of the road; Blue spotted the old man Ra’en among them. There were families from nearby keeps out there as well; when Kria had sent runners to alert them of the postponed ceremony, he made it very clear that it was because the Arbiter was coming to the keep. He, of course, wanted everyone to know. As a result, many had come down for a chance to see their legendary kaidon. The keep’s residents were back in the yards, on the wall, waiting with anticipation.  
Isa came jogging up to Blue. “This look better?”  
Blue looked her up and down; she’d changed into a more dresslike outfit, sleeveless still, but short up the sides and long in the front and back, and cut deeper across her chest.  
“You look very nice,” she promised. “I’m sure nobody will think otherwise.”  
“I have so much trouble finding clothing that fits me,” Isa huffed. “All the younglings run around in loincloths. I can not do that. I am an adult.”  
People far up the road started cheering; the procession was going past them. Many of them were bowing, kneeling, especially the field servants, who held lower positions in the society than the Sangheili. The sounds got louder as they came closer.  
The procession was overland, which surprised Blue, since most of the transportation she’d seen so far was air-based. She guessed it was for ceremonial purposes; if the Arbiter was shut inside a Phantom, nobody would be able to see him and be humbled by his presence.  
She leaned over the wall, resting her hands on the warm stone. The wind was blowing strong, coming up from the gorge and whistling to the east. She tilted her head back, cracked her jaws, and keened a low note, an echoing, singular sound of greeting that raced across the rocky plains.  
“Impressive,” Isa commented.  
Kria noticed she was up on the wall, on Blue’s other side. “Isa ‘Ayanam! Get down from this wall immediately! Return to your aunts!” he snapped.  
“I cannot see down there!” Isa protested.  
“Are you challenging my orders?” Kria growled, stepping away from the wall. His hand went threatening to his hip.  
“No,” Isa replied sullenly. Head down, she turned away from the wall and walked back to the stairs that led down to the ground.  
Kria shook his head, turning back to the wall. “What a pathetic creature. I am sorry she was bothering you, Ascendant.” Blue’s spine crawled; his voice was so contemptuous. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything back to him.  
The procession was close enough now that Blue could see the Arbiter, located at the center of the group of vehicles. He’d found himself some much better armor than the last time she’d seen him, at the Voi Memorial. She had to admit, he looked impressive in gold.  
She wanted to get away from Kria. It wasn’t his overwhelming excitement that was beginning to annoy her. It was his pride, inflating bigger and bigger as the Arbiter came closer and closer. That was it; it was a tangible sourness that hung around him like a specter. The source of her aversion.  
She turned her head, gathered her legs under her, and leapt from the wall, soaring through the air to land on the roof of the northeast tower. The guard inside cursed at the thump.  
She poked her head over the edge of the roof. “Sorry, it’s just me.”  
“So you are the ‘sKelln my aunt was jabbering about,” the guard replied, looking up at her. “I would tread with care on the rooftops; walking upon them makes you look like an assassin.”  
“I’ll remember that,” the draconic promised, and withdrew from the edge.  
The gates of the keep began to creak open, ready to receive the procession. Kria was yelling down from the wall, telling his keep to get in line, even though they already were.  
Blue straightened up on the roof, feet wide to keep her balance on the steep, adobe-shingled slope. The procession was slowing, preparing to stop before the gate, since most of the vehicles wouldn’t fit inside the compound.  
The surrounding field workers, including Ra’en, had all knelt. The guards in the watchtowers roared and banged the butts of their weapons against the ground, saluting their leader.  
‘Vadam’s own guards were moving around the procession, getting into formation. The kaidon stood, and jumped down from his seat at the center.  
Everything went deadly silent when his feet hit the ground. Blue could hear the wild avians bickering somewhere to the north. And that was all.  
The guards grouped up around the Arbiter, though Blue was sure they’d been unnecessary if ‘Vadam had to defend himself. He could do that well enough on his own.  
Kria had run down from the wall and was now at the forefront of his keep; they all knelt as the Arbiter walked through the gate.  
Blue leaned back and slid off the edge of the roof, aiming for the exterior. She avoided the wall, not wanting to create any more unnecessary thumps. Once in open air, she snapped her wings open and circled around, floating on the breeze.  
Kria was speaking to the Arbiter, still kneeling. The kaidon stood patiently, but even as Kria continued to babble, he looked to the sky and caught Blue in his gaze. His narrow eyes made it evident that he was, in fact, here to talk to her.  
She folded her wings like she’d been shot and plummeted towards the ground. It was a short distance; she snapped her wings open again and kicked her feet out, landing amongst the flower petals near the walkway. They flew up in a tornado flurry around her, before settling at her feet.  
“Arbiter,” she greeted him, bowing her head deep and bending her knees as she put her fingers between her eyes. “I am honored by your presence.”  
“And I yours, Ascendant,” he replied, nodding respectfully. “I have come to visit on important business. I would like to speak with you about recent transpirations, grave information that I do not trust to distanced communication. But I am also here to honor the one who has recently returned to this keep.” He looked at ‘Ayanam, who was still kneeling along with everyone else. “You may rise, General.”  
‘Ayanam got to his feet, almost shakily since he was so nervous. The Arbiter looked around the gathered crowd. “Those who share blood with this individual, rise.”  
The rest of ‘Ayanam’s family slowly got up. Kria, still on the ground, was looking up at the Arbiter incredulously.  
“Let us retire to a more comfortable place,” the Arbiter declared. “Somewhere we can talk in peace.”  
“Of course, Arbiter,” Kria replied. “I can lead you to our sitting room...”  
“I will have the General lead me to his,” the Arbiter told him, and walked right by him. Kria looked thunderous.   
The Arbiter approached ‘Ayanam, who bowed his head, as if he was afraid to look the kaidon in the eye. “Follow me, Arbiter,” he said quietly, gesturing to the buildings behind them. “I will lead you to our quarters.”  
Blue followed them into the compound; they skipped Kria’s tower for their own place of residence, the Arbiter and his guards following ‘Ayanam, while the rest of his family came after, whispering amongst themselves. The nervous tension was palpable, but it was wrought with joy as much as anything else.  
They entered the building and followed the halls to an open sitting room, furnished with cushions and chairs. One of the Arbiter’s servants trotted into the room, lugging a fancy chair over his back. He took it down with the help of one of the guards, and set it up for the Arbiter to sit on.  
‘Ayanam’s family scattered around the room; the mothers with children went for the cushions, their kids sitting on the floor around them. The uncles and ‘Ayanam got their own chairs; with a start, Blue realized Isa wasn’t there.  
But she didn’t have time to worry about that. She hopped up onto one of the room’s windowsills, crouching on the edge like an oversized bird. The guards took up station at the doors and windows; the ones standing next to her ignored her strange choice of perching.  
“You never received a reward truly worthy of your actions,” the Arbiter began, speaking to ‘Ayanam. “When I say your actions, I speak to your role in resisting the Jiralhanae and saving thousands of lives by spreading word of the Prophet’s betrayal. I also speak to your bravery and efficiency in retrieving the Dreadnought from the Ark, and your continued loyalty to the protection of High Charity, once our holy city and now a floating world of prosperity and peace. You have brought great honor not only to your family, but to your keep and this state.”  
He looked at Blue. “Roc ‘Ayanam, you were the one who discovered the Ascendant. It was your intelligence and caution that turned our guns away from her and instead allowed her into our fold. Without you, it is unknown whether or not she would have arrived in time to save us.”  
‘Ayanam bowed his head. “I...I am humbled, Arbiter...deeply humbled. I…” words failed him.  
“You were mistreated by the Prophets, as we all were,” the Arbiter continued, once it was clear ‘Ayanam was out of words. “I understand you are a shipmaster for High Charity now, in a more rightful line of work. I would offer you a position in my own fleet, but at the moment, we have no openings worthy of someone your rank. But, when the time comes, I would like to offer you a position in the Swords of Sanghelios, as a fleetmaster.”  
‘Ayanam was dumbfounded, eyes wide. “I...I would be deeply honored to serve you as such, Arbiter.”  
The Arbiter nodded. “That is settled, then. When the time comes, when I have more ships ready to command, and more able captains for them, I will contact you.”  
“Thank you, Arbiter,” ‘Ayanam said. “I will serve you with determination.”  
The Arbiter nodded, looking around the room. “Your blood is strong in this keep. I could use more warriors of your type under my command.” His eyes fell on the uncles, and the younglings. “But I will ask for no obligations. Many of you have already served your time. But for those who have not,” his eyes fell on one of the older younglings, who quickly straightened his back and took on a more militant posture, “I ask you to not underestimate your potential.”  
He looked to Blue. “We may speak now, Ascendant, with privacy.”  
Blue nodded, hopping down from the windowsill. ‘Ayanam, pointed them to another room, wordlessly, and they marched out, leaving the family in stunned silence.  
Once they were out of earshot, the Arbiter commented mildly, “I did not see the grandmother. I was warned about her by one of the ‘Riquans.”  
“I’m not that surprised they told her to go somewhere else,” Blue admitted. “I guess she is dishonorable?”  
The Arbiter looked away. “Mumtaz ‘Ayanam is of old blood. She had many suitors in her day, so I have read from this state’s history books. They have no reason to be ashamed of her.”  
Blue frowned slightly. It was nice that the Arbiter didn’t downgrade Mumtaz for her mental disability, but it was not much better, in her opinion, that he judged her worth by her number of suitors instead.  
“Her husband’s death broke her heart so badly it affected her mind,” the draconic replied conversationally. “That is what I have been told.”  
The Arbiter nodded. “That is no issue of bad blood.”  
Blue frowned more. She was very sure both Mumtaz and Isa had been forbidden from attending the meeting. The Arbiter may have had a better opinion, but at the end of the day, he was just a visitor.  
‘Vadam noticed her frowning. “You have some alternate opinion on this matter, I can tell.”  
The draconic started a little; she hadn’t realized her emotions were so visible. “I...It is not my place, Arbiter, to judge how this keep organizes its hierarchy.”  
The Arbiter chuckled, shaking his head. “Your continued humility is impressive. But it may also be preventing you from achieving your greatest; you have more power than you believe.” His eyes were sharp. “Or perhaps more power than you are willing to use.”  
They entered a smaller room; the servants put the fancy chair down again. Blue remained standing, clasping her hands behind her back.  
“Two of my ships were destroyed by a vessel under cloak, claiming to be mastered by a Kig-Yar shipmistress,” the Arbiter began. “You identified the vessel while it was under cloak, through your own methods. That was not so bothersome, but recently I have received word that you evacuated individuals from the Nes’alun keep, women and children who were under attack by their neighbors, the Lacalu. The Lacalu claim to have attacked the keep since they were not in support of me; the elder also stated that the keep was sheltering a human, who was evacuated by others in the middle of the fight.”   
He propped one of his elbows on the arm of his chair, curling his fingers into a loose fist. “Earlier that day, a small human ship was given permission to land near Ontom. This ship was outfitted with advanced cloaking technology, very similar to that of the ship which attacked my vessels.” He narrowed his eyes. “You seemed very familiar with that ship.”  
His expression clearly indicated that he wanted no funny business. Blue inhaled; she’d expected this, a ‘Tusam 2.0, except much more dangerous.  
“I had been meaning to speak to you on this matter at a good time,” she said truthfully, “and I guess that time is now, though I do not have as much information yet as I wish I did.” She faced him, hoping she could rely on the good nature she knew he had. With so many things on the line, his anger could be fierce. “The humans are not as unified as they would seem. As I have informed my Fleetmaster, they disagree and fight about many things. One of those things is how they should treat their relationship with the Sangheili.”  
The Arbiter nodded. “Go on.”  
“Unfortunately for us, there are people in positions of power who would prefer humanity’s domination over the galaxy, rather than equal coexistence,” the draconic explained. “And they have the resources to cause great trouble.” She looked out the window, to the yellow sky. “The UNSC does not know of these plans, nor would they believe you if you told them. This insurgence they must discover themselves.” She looked back to him. “I have given them hints of the human betrayal, planting the seeds of an investigation. I hope to bog down these nefarious plans.”  
“Who is behind the attack?” the Arbiter demanded to know. “You must tell me.”  
“Her name is Margaret Parangosky,” Blue told him evenly. “You probably have met her.”  
The Arbiter’s eyes widened with surprise. “The commander-in-chief of ONI? I did meet her, during the ceremony at Voi. I do recall that she looked at me as if I stank of something unpleasant…”  
“She is operating outside of UNSC knowledge, and even the knowledge of her own organization,” Blue explained. “If the UNSC got wind of her plans, they would shut them down immediately, and arrest that witch of a woman. However, that would require hard evidence, none of which I have at the moment.”  
“What does she plan?” the Arbiter asked. He was less demanding now, more concerned.  
“Terrible, devious things,” the draconic replied. “She has a strike team secretly working for her. They sold weapons to the Servants, and wish to create further unrest on this planet. They want to keep your people occupied with fighting amongst yourselves. They went to the Nes’alun keep to rescue their scientist, Evan Phillips.” She held a finger to her temple, and opened her other hand, palm up. A blue glow appeared in her hand.  
“I am compiling all my knowledge of her plans here,” she told ‘Vadam. “Every last detail I have discerned from investigating her and her followers’ minds. This is highly sensitive information; in the wrong hands, understood the wrong way, it could lead to war. And you know neither side could survive such a thing.” She narrowed her eyes. “I am placing great trust in you by giving you this information.”  
The Arbiter nodded. “Another war this soon would be devastating. I understand your fear.”  
Blue continued gathering her memories into her palm; they solidified into a small core, deep blue in color. She waved her hand over the core; silvery metal encased it. The object grew in size, components adding to it.  
“This device will project a three-dimensional hologram; through it the files can be navigated,” she instructed. “The device also contains a facial recognition scanner.” She tapped the camera lens, covered with reinforced glass. “It incorporates facial recognition with a retinal scan of both eyes; in order for someone besides yourself to activate the device and access the information, they would literally need to steal your face. Which I don’t see happening in the foreseeable future.”  
She held the device up to the Arbiter’s eyes, close to his face. “Hold still for a moment, please.” The lens emitted a thin sheet of light, which scanned the Arbiter’s face from top to bottom, and back up again. It then scanned from left to right and back, then beeped a confirmation.  
She lowered the device. “You’ve been inputted into the security clearance. Only you can activate the device. It is also unhackable by anything...except maybe a really smart AI, since it is made with energetic circuitry.”  
“You are serious about this endeavor,” the Arbiter commented, taking the device when she handed it to him. “Are you sure you are not being too cautious?”  
“I have an entire city to care for,” Blue replied evenly. “Women, children under my guard. I cannot be too careful.” She met his eye. “Just before, you commented that perhaps I was not willing to use the power I had. I assure you, I am very willing.” She lowered her head. “I would advise the same caution for you; though it has not currently been amongst Parangosky’s plans, I would not put it past her to try and assassinate you.”  
“I single-handedly defeated three Sangheili assassins early in my career as kaidon,” the Arbiter told her, voice a bit disdainful. “I think I can handle a few human assassins.”  
Blue held up her hands in surrender. “It is just my advice; take it as you will. After reviewing those files, you may understand more of why I am so worried.”  
“I will remain in contact with you,” the Arbiter promised. “I am sure I will have questions.”  
Blue nodded. “I am prepared to answer them. Is this all for now?”  
He nodded back. “Yes. Thank you, Ascendant. Your endeavours continue to serve us greatly.” He stood, turning to his guards. “Let us recede from this keep; we have many things to do, now that we have been given a direction.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	20. 2.18: The Sisters

2.18: The Sisters

Kria was livid; he was standing in the courtyard, fuming in his fancy outfit. But Blue didn’t care; she was searching for Isa.  
She found her via thermal vision; the small Sangheili was hiding in an empty cabinet in one of the underground storage rooms.  
She approached the closed door, hearing the quiet sobs behind it. “Isa?” she called quietly.  
The crying stopped. “G-go away,” Isa muttered tearfully. “L-leave me a-alone!”  
The draconic knelt next to the cabinet. “It’s me, Blue. I saw what Kria did on the wall. I’m sorry, Isa.”  
“He t-t-treats me like I a-am worthless!” Isa sobbed. “H-he thinks I am u-useless and s-shameful. He is g-going to kill me one day, m-mark my words…”  
“Isa…” Blue replied. “Can you come out of the cabinet? It’s hard to talk through this door.”  
The door slowly creaked open, revealing the small Sangheili curled up in the back of the space, arms wrapped around her knees, which she was hiding her face behind.  
“Come on out, Isa,” the draconic repeated. “Nobody is here but me, I promise.”  
Isa sniffled, uncurled herself, and scooted to the edge of the cabinet, so her feet were back on the stone floor, though she was still sitting inside the enclosed space.  
“I w-will not be able to defend myself if he c-comes after me,” she said tearfully to Blue. “H-he will kill me.”  
“Why would he come after you?” the draconic asked. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”  
“I-I am shameful,” Isa repeated, shaking. “If he k-kills me, it will remove my shame from the keep. It will m-make him s-seem better.” The tears welled up in her yellow eyes again.  
“Come here,” Blue said quietly, opening her arms. Isa wrapped her arms around her neck and started crying quietly into her shoulder; Blue held her patiently, rubbing her back.  
After a minute, Isa sat back, sniffing and wiping her eyes.  
“Are you better now?” the draconic asked, inclining her head and looking up at her. “Seriously.”  
Isa nodded. “I..I am. Thank you, Ascendant.” She shook her head mournfully. “There is no one else in this keep who is so comfortable with me to be willing to comfort me like this.”  
“Please, just call me Blue,” the draconic replied. “I’m here as your friend, not your superior.” She put her hands on Isa’s shoulders. The Arbiter’s words were mulling over in her mind - _you have more power than you believe_. “Tomorrow, we’re going to have that ceremony, and you’re going to be there, ok? You’re going to be with me. I will protect you from Kria, and if anyone dares to call shame to you, I will have to remind them who’s company I have chosen to keep. Your place at my right hand should be nothing but the most honorable.”  
Isa nodded slowly. “B-but...are you sure that is a good idea? What will my family say? What will they say about you, if you choose to keep the company of someone like me?”  
“I martially outrank every single person in this keep,” Blue replied flatly. “If I give an order, they have to follow it.”  
Isa shrugged. “I-I guess…”  
The draconic looked sternly at her. “Stick with me, Isa, and you will be alright.”  
“She is right, you know,” Mumtaz’s gravelly voice sounded around the corner. The elderly Sangheili came shuffling in with her cane, eyeing her granddaughter sternly.  
“I heard her crying and offered to help,” she told Blue, “but she told me to go away, so I did. Not very far, though.”  
She marched over to her granddaughter, one hand on her hip. “Stand up, Isa ‘Ayanam. Your place is not in a cabinet, like a loaf of bread. You are an ‘Ayanam, so you must act like one. Shoulders back, head up, proud of who you are. Velithra shit on what anyone else says about you.” She pointed with a knobby finger. “You prove them wrong.”  
Isa shakily got to her feet; Blue followed her. Mumtaz looked back and forth between them.  
“My husband always told me he could have married anyone,” she told them, “but he chose me. Not because I would better his social standing, or bring him honor, but because he was in love with the unbridled ferocity I lived by every day.” She tapped the butt of her cane against the ground. “I see the same fire in you, Isa ‘Ayanam. While your looks may make people treat you like a child, it is your job now to not act like one. Your first step is to never, ever cry in that cabinet ever again.” Her eyes were sharp. “We are ‘Ayanams. We do not let our emotions inhibit us.”  
Isa nodded. “I know, Grandma. But it is so hard to be mature when everyone treats you like a youngling…or a cripple...”  
“Then show them you are not!” Mumtaz exclaimed, widening her grey eyes. “Tomorrow, you will dance with the other women who are seeking suitors. Your place amongst them is long overdue.”  
Isa drew back, looking almost horrified. “But, but Grandma, if I do that, everyone will know I am of bad blood. And besides, I have no sister to dance with…”  
“You have one now,” Mumtaz growled, poking Blue’s side with her cane.  
Isa looked at Blue, eyes wide. “The Ascendant?”  
Blue shrugged, rubbing her side. “I mean, I am single...If that’s the only rule of this dance, then I’m perfectly eligible for it.”  
Mumtaz nodded firmly. “And she is your height; it is perfect. I will set my daughters to make the proper clothing for your sizes.” She turned to hobble away. “Determination, Isa ‘Ayanam. That is what makes this family.” She pressed her mandibles together; a Sangheili smile. “Do not disappoint your old grandma.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Oh, what have we gotten ourselves into?” Isa moaned, sitting on her bed with her hands over her face.  
Two of her aunts had just come by, toting a trunk that had been revealed to be carrying dancing clothes for her and Blue, cut down to size.  
The two had pulled Blue aside prior, after getting the orders from Mumtaz. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Ascendant?” they whispered. “You are familiar with Mumtaz’s ways…”  
The draconic had nodded sternly to them. “Isa is an adult, and deserves to participate fully in society, as any adult would. She is not inhibited by her size in body, mind, or spirit. I will remind you, I am no bigger than her.”  
They dipped their heads, having no choice but to follow their orders. Unless they told the others, they would be the only ones who knew.  
“But you do not think we should at least tell the other aunts?” Isa asked for the third time.  
“I don’t want too many people knowing,” Blue patiently replied. “The more who know, the more likely Kria will find out, and try to shut us down. If he does not notice us until the dance itself, he would have to interrupt the ceremony to stop us, which I doubt he will do. He wouldn’t want to seem so belligerent in front of all his guests.”  
Evening was fast approaching; the aunts and uncles were scurrying over the keep and courtyard, putting out decorations and tidying up the place. Isa had been teaching Blue the dances all afternoon.  
“You’re going to look beautiful,” Blue promised, trying to comfort Isa, who was still curled up in shock. “If anyone says otherwise, I’ll…I’ll roar at them.”  
Isa hiccupped a little. “Thanks...I think.”  
The draconic lifted up one of the articles of clothing, which looked like a skirt of sorts. “Well...I may need to pass on some of these things, seeing I have a tail and wings…”  
“That is not all,” Isa told her, getting off the bed to peek into the trunk. “The ladies all wear jewelry, and sashes of translucent material...here are some.” she pulled from the trunk a woven bracelet, connected by gossamer cloth to an armband of similar design. The armband was connected to another, and another bracelet.  
“Hopefully it will fit over my wings,” Blue said dubiously, “otherwise we will have to cut it. You should get dressed now, either way.”  
Isa nodded, and rooted through the trunk to get all her clothes before she dashed away to change. Blue picked up the leftover skirt and frowned.  
 _Oh well…_  
Isa returned a few minutes later, with her own skirt on. It had a low waistband, settling right on her hips. It was long in the back, going over her hocks. Blue could see now that it wasn’t as much of a skirt as she thought it was; instead of one, unified piece of cloth, the longer back was separated from the front, which only covered her right leg. She was wearing what almost looked like shorts under the cloth, just above the knee in length.  
“I forgot my top,” she announced, rummaging through the trunk. “I am not used to wearing clothes that come in two pieces…”  
She found her top and pulled it on over her head, making sure it was tight around her chest. It reminded Blue of a human crop-top, funnily enough. It was strapped, sleeveless, and only came down to the end of the Sangheili’s ribs, leaving her grey belly exposed.  
“It is so tight,” she grumbled, looking down at her chest. “But I look pretty. I guess.”  
“If you had a mirror to look into, you would not say “I guess”,” Blue replied sternly. She turned the gossamer cloth over in her hands, trying to figure out what to do with it.  
“Oh, they stretch,” Isa told her, pointing to the armband. “It will fit over your arm.”  
Blue stuck her hand through the armband and pulled it up her arm; it did stretch, though getting it over her pointed elbow was a struggle. With a tug, she got it in place around her bicep, covering the line that bisected her upper arm, where one silvery armor plate ended and another began.  
She slipped the bracelet over her hand and onto her wrist, so the gossamer cloth hung delicately between the two jeweled bands. “I have not worn anything one might call clothes since...well, for a very long time.”  
Isa was expertly putting on her own jewelry. “The translucent cloth accents your silver armor greatly, and the crystals sparkle wondrously.”  
“I am already so shiny, though,” Blue replied, squinting at her wrist. “These must be a different color besides white if anyone is to see them…” she tapped the crystals, and they took on a light blue hue. The gossamer cloth became tinted a light pink.  
“Oh, that is pretty,” Isa commented, eyes wide. “Do you think you could do that for mine as well?”  
She held out her hands; she’d gotten all four jewelry bands onto her arms. The gossamer cloth hung delicately from her wrists, connecting to the armbands and then draping across her back.  
“I must remember not to put my arms too far in front of me,” the small Sangheili grumbled, moving her arms in and feeling the hanging cloth go tight across her back. “I would not want to rip this.”  
Blue tapped her finger against her cheek thoughtfully. “The white crystals already accent your outfit well; though, if I made them yellow, they would match your eyes.” She snapped her fingers, and the crystals changed. “Hmm...yes, I think that does look better.”  
“Thank you!” Isa exclaimed, looking at her wrists. “I like that very much.”  
Blue could already tell the hanging cloth wouldn’t make it across her back, not if she wanted a decently normal range of motion. Regretfully, she slashed a neat line through the center of the cloth, following up the edges with a burst of her energy so they wouldn’t fray. She slipped on the other armband and bracelet; instead of connecting across her back, the two sections of cloth hang from her biceps, fluttering when she moved.  
“Oh, we cannot forget these,” Isa said, pulling four strands of white beads from the trunk. “The other women will be dressed similarly, and can dance as well, but only the single ones wear these beads upon their hips.” She attached the strings to her waistband, two on each hip.  
Blue took hers, frowning. “I could try to wear the skirt, but I have a feeling it will get caught on my armor plates…and my tail.”  
“Aw, try it on,” Isa pushed her. “If there is a problem, we can fix it. Maybe.”  
Blue accepted her own set of bottoms, somewhat reluctantly. The tight shorts-like clothing under her skirt would for sure be ripped by the edges of her armor plates.  
 _Well, I could just remove those..._ she severed the shorts from the rest of the cloth, and pulled the skirt on over her legs.  
The waistband settled low across her hips, lower than her own utility belt (which she regretfully couldn’t take off because it was a part of her armor). The rest of the thing was pretty analogous to what Isa was wearing, so it wouldn’t hang up too much on her legs. She couldn’t really find a good way to deal with her tail, so she just retracted it. The metal plates clicked into each other, folding inside-out. The last section of plating folded down to cover her rear like coattails.  
Isa’s eyes bugged out of her head. “You can retract your TAIL? Why the hell were you complaining about it before, then?”  
Blue nodded with a chuckle. “I can. Took a lot of redesigns of my body to get it to work, but I can. Not that I necessarily like to. Without my tail, I feel like I’m missing a limb.”  
“Aw, suck it up, princess,” Isa teased. She hand her a set of the white beads.  
The draconic took the beads and attached them to her waistband. “There; does it look any good?”  
“I think you look fine,” Isa told her. “Though somewhat strange without a top…”  
“With wings, a top is a no-go,” Blue chuckled. “Unfortunately. I can’t retract my wings! I need those, and they’re a bit too big for that.”  
“We should put some of this cloth on your horns,” Isa suggested, gesturing to the translucent material. “That would look gorgeous!” She took a spare strip of material from the trunk.  
Blue opened her hand and took the cloth, which she pulled over her horn and looped around the middle. She tied the knot tightly and tilted her head a little, watching the free ends of the cloth wave around.  
“Perfect!” Isa cheered, clapping. “I love it!”  
The draconic smiled, almost bashfully, and started creating the matching cloth for her other horn.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	21. 2.20: The Stowaway

2.20: The Stowaway

“I will miss them very much,” ‘Ayanam told Blue as their Phantom flew away from their keep. “I hope they will stay safe in these troubled times.”  
The morning after the festivities, Kria had once again been enraged. Someone had told him about Isa.  
Blue caught wind of the trouble thanks to her sharp ears; Kria’s rancid voice drifted down the hallway, from where a nervous servent stood before his door, delivering the news. She fled from the tower to Isa’s quarters, where she lived with the rest of her aunts. She alerted them, and they scattered.  
Kria came storming through a few minutes later, to find no one. The draconic expertly hid every single one of the women from him for the rest of the day, to let his anger simmer down. That was the hope, at least.  
But, despite their efforts, he finally found Isa in the evening. Luck was to thank, though; at the time, she was accompanied by both Blue and ‘Ayanam, the General in armor.  
“Ascendant, Shipmaster,” the elder greeted them curtly as he approached. His expression was carefully guarded, but his eyes were stone-cold. “I hope you are well today.”  
“We are very well, thank you,” ‘Ayanam replied, inclining his head.  
Kria’s harsh eyes fell on Isa, who stiffened her spine and looked up at him, trying hard to keep her expression neutral.  
“Isa ‘Ayanam,” Kria spoke stiffly. “You danced at the party last night, without permission to do so.”  
“I required a suitable dance partner,” Blue interjected before Isa had the chance to say anything damning. “Isa ‘Ayanam is of the correct age for the dance, and is the only individual of my height. Would you have denied me the dance?”  
“I-no, of course not,” Kria rescued his response, putting one hand over his chest. “While I cannot guess your motive for joining our customs in such a way, I could never dream of denying the honor to one as exalted as you.” He had caught himself expertly. “Indeed, I must be humbled and honored that you chose to join us as you did. Clearly, this keep and this family has made a positive impression on you.”  
Blue nodded respectfully. “ I am single, am of marriageable age, and would rather participate in the ceremonies as a member of society than stand up at the front, alienated. Surely, you understand that.” Her tone made it clear she wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation.  
Kria nodded stiffly. “Of course, Ascendant.”  
They had parted quickly after that. Isa deflated, shrinking and drooping her head. Not long after that, she had parted from them, muttering something about needing to find Mumtaz.  
“I will miss Isa,” Blue replied to ‘Ayanam, back on the transport. “She was enjoyable to be around.” She had enjoyed her nights training the small Sangheili; she had given her many martial forms to work on in their short time. It was nowhere near to the formal training her brother had received, but she hoped it would help. If Kria ever did come after her, she would at least have some means of protecting herself.  
“You like the spunky ones,” ‘Ayanam muttered. “I do not understand that about you.”  
Blue shrugged. “One must have great spirit to harness the power of the stars.”  
There was a cluster of Kig-Yar field workers that were going back to the rendezvous point with them, as well as some Unggoy from the surrounding area. They were planning on joining High Charity’s population; the Kig-Yar themselves had already pledged allegiance to Blue’s brood.  
“I hope Kria leaves my family alone,” ‘Ayanam growled twitchily. “But I am not worried. Ruzam and the other uncles will protect them.”  
“It is strange you give only basic combat training to the women,” Blue commented. “It seems illogical.”  
“It is tradition,” ‘Ayanam replied. “Sangheili women do not have a place on the field of battle. They are not fit to fight.”  
“Excuse me?” the draconic asked, tilting her head. “I identify as female, and I will kick your ass any day.”  
‘Ayanam wouldn’t look at her. “You are not a Sangheili.”  
“And you have effectively removed half of your battle force from the field,” Blue replied pointedly. “Think, Shipmaster. Because of this war, and the fighting that continues, your kind are losing your males. Keeps are being left unguarded, and with the women unable to efficiently defend themselves, they are slaughtered like livestock. You know the fate of the Nes’alun keep.”  
She saw the flash of fear in his eyes. If a full keep attacked his own, they would be unable to defend themselves if the males were compromised. He knew it.  
“Perhaps, but I am in no position to determine who can train,” he admitted.  
“Hopefully, we will get families moving to High Charity,” the draconic continued, now feeling a little guilty for scaring him. “All individuals, regardless of gender or species, will be offered basic combat training. And, once I get the Ministry of Training onboard, female Sangheili will be allowed to enlist for combat duty.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I won’t have a single able hand go to waste on my station. We have ships that are undermanned, commanders that are needed. Jobs to be filled. We move forward together.”  
“You have great visions for the future, and I must honor your orders,” ‘Ayanam replied. “While many of your ideas are strange to me, I am in no position to deny you. I just hope you do not find failure a crippling partner.”  
Blue waved her hand dismissively. “I fear neither failure nor difficulty; what I fear is never being brave enough to try something new. And seeing Isa’s spirit, for the week I was around her, has given me the assurance that there is unbridled potential amongst your females.”  
“Isa is...unique,” ‘Ayanam reminded her. “You should not judge us based on her.”  
“We shall see, as time goes on,” Blue replied with a shrug. “I may be wrong, but it is as I said. I must try.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Docking successful.”  
The announcement rang over the intercom, signalling that the cruiser had docked with High Charity. The ship shuddered to a halt, locking into the docks.  
The ship’s passengers all started to stand. Those who had already been standing moved towards the halls that led to the exit, chattering excitedly. Blue uncrossed her arms and pushed off the wall, ‘Ayanam doing the same.  
“It feels good to be back, though I will miss my family greatly,” he said to her. “That pain will fade, in time.”  
Blue nodded understandingly. “I am relieved to return and find High Charity in just as good condition as we left it in. I was so worried my departure would lead to issues, internal and external.”  
So the station could run without her peering over everyone’s shoulders, at least for a Sanghelios-length week. In terms of how fast problems could develop, that was a long time.  
“Your ship seems highly experienced in governmental business,” ‘Ayanam commented. “I am sure he kept things running well.”  
“Aethon would never let things go astray, if he could help it,” Blue agreed, “but I had told him to not involve himself too much beyond his usual work. I wanted to assure the self-sufficiency of this base, in my absence.” She exhaled heavily. “Because I foresee times in the future where I will have to be gone for longer.”  
They followed the flow of the crowd towards the exits, where the ship was connected to High Charity by its network of umbilical docks. There were a lot of people on the ship; all the returning Sangheili, plus Kig-Yar and Unggoy workers who had returned with their masters. And, to her delight, she saw a few Sangheili families amongst them.  
One of the families was accompanied by no armored soldiers; they were refugees from a small farm keep, seeking a better life. They stuck very close together, eyes wide with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. The mother was carrying a young childling who still had the tough plates on the back of his neck.  
They exited the ship, walking through the almost airport-like connection and into the docks. The nearby platforms were all flooded with people, from this ship and another that had just unloaded as well.  
“What a crowd,” Blue commented, looking around. “I have never seen this many people in the docks at once!”  
The last few people were getting off their ship; she saw a Sangheili youngling accompanied by Kig-Yar exit the ship, talking amiably with the servants.  
Her eyes widened. That was no youngling.  
“ISA ‘AYANAM!”  
Practically the entire platform froze when ‘Ayanam’s voice bellowed over the noise of the crowd, so loud it sounded like thunder. Blue jumped in surprise at how loud he was, plates on the back of her neck bristling.  
“Don’t make a scene!” she hissed at him. Looking around at the crowd, she gestured for them to keep moving about their business. She looked back, and ‘Ayanam was already gone from her side.  
“Oh, for crying out loud,” she muttered, neck plates still bristling.  
The Shipmaster was marching angrily through the crowd towards Isa, who was frozen with absolute fright. Her Kig-Yar compatriots had fled the scene, leaving her to her fate.  
‘Ayanam marched right up to her, towering over her. “What. Are. You. DOING?”  
Isa crossed her arms over her chest, trying to look tough, though she was shaking visibly. “I am coming to live on this station, brother.”  
“No you are not,” ‘Ayanam growled in low. “You are going to get back on that ship, and return to Sanghelios and to the keep at once. That is an order!”  
“I am not one of your underlings!” Isa yelled back at him, voice cracking. “You cannot just tell me what to do!”  
“Isa ‘Ayanam,” he repeated, “this is not the place for you. You belong at the keep, where you are safe. How did you even get here?”  
“Mumtaz helped me,” Isa explained hotly. “She knew there was a group of Kig-Yar at a neighboring keep that wanted to come to the station. She contacted the elder and asked him to let me go with them. He is her old friend, so he gladly accepted. I left the keep very early, after I said good-bye, with Mumtaz, who told everyone we were going to forage for fruits at the far end of the river. Instead, we met up with her other friend who owns a velithra, and they gave me a ride there. I took a Phantom with the Kig-Yar to the rendezvous point, and boarded the cruiser.”  
‘Ayanam clapped a hand over his face. “Mumtaz helped you. Mumtaz helped you. Of course. Curse her and her many friends!” He dropped his hand, eyes narrowing angrily. “You WILL return to Sanghelios at once. High Charity is no place for a keepless female!”  
“Then I will establish my own keep!” Isa replied furiously. “Or I will join one! Or, better yet, I will enlist in the military. But I am NOT going back to that planet!” By this point, all the yelling had attracted attention, and the two were the center of a large circle of curious onlookers. The small Sangheili looked around, suddenly noticing the crowd. She whipped back to ‘Ayanam, yellow eyes narrowing furiously. “I will not go back! If I do, Kria will kill me. Or, better yet, I will not give him the satisfaction. I will kill myself!”  
The platform was deadly silent. ‘Ayanam’s amber eyes went wide; he could tell she was being serious.  
“Isa,” he said huskily. “Please, do not speak of such a thing.” He reached out to try and put a hand on her shoulder, but she moved away.  
Blue was standing at the edge of the circle, with her arms crossed. She looked at the rest of the group, and jerked her head towards the exits. The look in her eyes told them that sticking around to oggle would not be tolerated in the slightest.  
‘Ayanam was standing alone, shoulders drooping, head bowed low. He looked utterly defeated.  
“I am staying here,” Isa said to him firmly. “This will be my new home.”  
“I have a proposition,” Blue spoke up quietly, walking up to them and entering the conversation. “I will take Isa on as my personal aide, for I have none at the moment, and one of my status surely deserves one. She will be given a place to stay, and a job to complete. And, as my aide, she will be within my personal protection. ‘Ayanam, does that make you feel better?”  
“I have no choice in the matter,” he replied sullenly. “Do as you wish.” His voice was bitter; he turned from them and walked away, leaving them alone on the platform.  
They watched him go. Blue looked left at Isa. The small Sangheili crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.  
“It is not because he is ashamed of you, despite what you may think,” the draconic told her. “He is too tired of everyone else’s pity to have some for himself. It is because he loves you, and losing you would break his heart.”  
Isa bowed her head, eyes shadowed. “I want to believe those words. I really do.”  
Blue put her hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are not shameful. As my aide, you will be in a position of great respect and responsibility. And if that is not good enough for them, then I will teach you to put them in their place.”  
She gestured towards the paths leading to the city. “Beyond this lies the greatest and most sophisticated military training grounds of any spacefaring vehicle. And no aide of mine would ever not be able to defend herself against an attacker.” She looked Isa in the eye. “Your training will continue, harder than ever. Your people measure success in military prowess; you will show them what you are capable of. And you will prove all their doubts wrong. Are you ready?”  
Isa wiped away the last of the tears from fighting with her brother, sniffed, and nodded. “I am ready.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	22. 2.19: The Party

2.19: The Party

Blue and Isa crept into the large courtyard through one of the side doors, avoiding drawing attention to themselves. The crowd was seated in sections, males on one side and females on another. Single females sat apart as well, identified by the beads upon their hips. Children sat with their mothers, on the ground in front of their cushions.  
“All the males who have served in combat will wear their armor here,” Isa whispered to her as they sat down. “They are very chased-after by the females.” She squeezed her mandibles together, a Sangheili grin, and flared her nostrils, making the grin downright devious. “Including my brother!”  
Amongst the single women there were Koxa and Ul’e, Isa’s aunts. Shewa, Bal’me, and Thuwe were there as well, though their beads were black.  
“That means they are widows,” Isa explained. “They are less sought-after as mates since they are not as pure.”  
Blue snorted disapprovingly. “Pure? I can’t say I agree with that concept, except for those who are actually sick.” She looked down at her own beads. “I’m wearing the wrong color, then.”  
Isa shrugged. “Some suitors do not care. It is just tradition.”  
Some of the keep’s youngling females were also dressed with the beads, presumably since they were just on the cusp of marriageable age. Even still, they were all taller than Isa, though the latter appeared older in the characteristics of body and face. As the females aged, their skin became rougher and they became less thin and fine-boned, shoulders and hips broadening. Thank goodness, because otherwise Blue doubted they’d be able to pass eggs.  
There were many families here, and despite her sneaky entrance, they had all spotted Blue. Lots of eyes were on her, and they were whispering amongst themselves. She made a point to sit with the other ‘Ayanam women, to avoid anything unnecessary.  
They sat on the cushions next to Koxa and Ul’e; both looked at Isa with wide eyes.  
“Thuwe told us,” Koxa said hushedly. “Kria will not be pleased.”  
“I required a dance partner,” Blue told them evenly. “Isa is my height, and by the rules of the dance, she is allowed.”  
Koxa looked away. “I hope he will take that answer, Ascendant. For all our sakes.” Her eyes darted around nervously. “I hate to bother you with the personal matters of our keep, but the elder makes his anger known.”  
Blue narrowed his eyes. “He doesn’t take it out on you and your sisters, I hope?”  
Koxa’s gaze was hard. “We make a point to avoid him when we know he is angry.”  
The elder himself was up at the front of the courtyard, dressed in his finest. He was in the center of the front, all the seating going in rows away from him, an aisle down the middle, between the males and females. On the wall to his left were long tables, stacked with food and commanded by Unggoy servers. The entire yard was decorated, with ribbons and vines hanging from the walls, making the yard seem like a lush oasis in the middle of a rocky desert.  
The dragonic felt a cold flame simmer in her core.  
“There is my brother,” Isa pointed towards the males, on the opposing side of the females. ‘Ayanam stood out in his gleaming gold armor, the sweeping crest of his helmet towering above and behind his head. Ruzam was dressed in the white armor of an Ultra, Xysan in the red of a Major, and N’thas in the blue of a Minor. There were a smattering of other Minors about, but no others.  
“I am sure Kria will be very long-winded,” Isa commented. “He always is.”  
“We bear him with dignity,” Koxa said patiently. “It is all we can do. We must be thankful for his grace in letting us remain resident in his keep.” But her yellow eyes were sad.  
Mumtaz hobbled by them on her cane; she paused and nodded to Isa and Blue.  
“Well done, ladies,” she said. “I will see you in the dance.”  
Blue raised an eyebrow. Mumtaz was fit enough to dance?  
“She does not actually need that cane,” Isa whispered to the draconic, noticing her expression. “It is just because she likes to be dramatic. And seeming old and feeble makes people treat her better.”  
Kria was clearing his throat at the front of the yard, making it obvious he wanted to begin the ceremony, now that everyone was here and seated. Blue made herself comfortable; they were going to be here for a while.  
He began his speech by talking about the ‘Riquan family line, welcoming everyone to “his” ancient keep. He mentioned the Arbiter’s visit as well; of course he had to rub that around some more.  
Blue heard the word “Ascendant” and brought her attention back from the void. Kria was speaking to her presence, her blessed presence upon his keep.  
“Savior of High Charity, holy wielder of the very stars themselves, Ascendant Blue, daughter of Arlia of the Farsight clan, the last of her kind,” he was saying. “She walks amongst us tonight, a silver shadow under the bright moons. Ascendant, would you come forth?”  
Blue rose, gave Isa a quick apologetic look, and moved to the aisle. Everything went quiet as she walked upon the grass, each step purposeful and elegant, her head held high and proud. The cut pieces of silk that hung from her biceps flowed gently behind her, as did the hem of the skirt she had somehow gotten over her armored legs. The firelight from the lanterns reflected off her with a metallic sheen, etching sharp lines along her face.  
She was not looking forward to having to stand next to Kria, in all his sour pride, while he drawled, but she had no choice otherwise. She gracefully took her position to his left.  
“We are honored beyond imagining by your presence,” Kria told her. “Your footsteps upon these stones will bless them for lifetimes to come!”  
The crowd roared approvingly, clapping their hands. Kria waited for them to quiet down before continuing.  
“This keep has been touched by magic,” he declared. “Let us celebrate it deep into the night!”  
More cheering; roaring. Kria looked down, noticed the beads on Blue’s hips, and she saw guarded confusion echo across his face. He said nothing, however. Questioning her motives in public would be too intrusive, even for him.  
“But we are not only here to celebrate the Ascendant,” he continued once things quieted. “We are here to celebrate the return of a hero, a warrior of unparallelled skill and grace.” He then launched into a synopsis of the ‘Ayanam family history, though he made it shorter than the history of his own family.  
“Our very own Roc ‘Ayanam achieved the rank of General in the Covenant, before our betrayal by the treacherous San’Shyuum and their bestial Jiralhanae,” he proclaimed. “Through his childhood, he showed great promise in combat and leadership skill. He was unrivaled by his fellows, determined to meet every challenge. He rose to the occasion with fearlessness and fury, and has brought great honor to his family and this keep. Shipmaster Roc ‘Ayanam, stand and be recognized!”  
‘Ayanam stood up, the setting sun glinting off his armor in an array of reds and golds. The courtyard went up in thunderous cheers.  
Blue smiled at ‘Ayanam, meeting his amber eyes. _I’m so proud of you._  
Afterwards, Kria briefly recognized the other Sangheili who had served, and conducted a moment of silence for fallen family and friends. The yard fell to a hush; not even the youngest childling made a sound.  
Kria lifted his head after the minute had passed. “Now, let us begin the festivities in whole! Clear the yard; it is time for the ladies to dance!”  
Blue scurried back to Isa as fast as she could. The small Sangheili was wringing her hands nervously.  
“Ready?” Blue asked. She nodded rapidly.  
“Let’s do this before I faint, or vomit or something,” she muttered.  
There were musicians along the wall; all their instruments were percussive or string-based (Blue couldn’t imagine the Sangheili and Unggoy musicians ever being able to play something akin to a trumpet). Isa had said there would be music, so this had to be it.  
The cushions were cleared out in a snap; many of the males headed for the food while the females set up the floor. Younglings and childlings ran between everyone’s feet, screaming and chasing each other. Blue watched one of the aunts deftly grab her childling by the armored scruff before he dove under a table and sent the desserts flying.  
Blue and Isa took up a position near the middle, facing each other. All the other women had gotten into their pairs as well, sisters dancing with sisters.  
“Thank you for doing this for me,” Isa said quietly. “It means a lot.”  
Blue smiled and nodded. “It is what I felt was right to do.” She held out her hand. “Isa ‘Ayanam, I have known you for but a few days, but I have seen enough of your spirit to be honored to take the place a sister would.”  
Isa’s yellow eyes crinkled at the corners, shining happily. She took Blue’s hand. “Let us dance then, sister.”  
The band struck up the dancing tune, and they were whirled away.  
The dance was not slow, nor fast. It was careful and paced, yet swift and powerful. Each step was elegant and poised, the pairs weaving around each other without flaw. The sisters kept each other’s hand, but only that. The music was loud, but Blue could still hear cheers from the crowd every so often. The single males were particularly loud, pushing each other around and jostling for a spot at the front.  
Isa let go of Blue’s hand and they both jumped back, onto one foot. Deftly, they moved in opposition to each other, careful not to hit their neighbors. They paced around each other, eyes locked. Isa’s eyes were shining. They jumped back together, took up one hand again, and the dance whirled on.  
When the song came to an end, the crowd cheered with their approval, many males moving about, fists in the air. ‘Ayanam guided his plate of food out of the way of a young Minor who bounced past, the general looking a bit annoyed.  
“We did it!” Isa gasped, glancing all around at the crowd. The pairs of women were back to the positions they had started in; after a pause, the sisters let go of each other’s hands and put their own together, bowing briefly. Isa and Blue did the same.  
“I am starving,” the small Sangheili declared in a whisper. “Let’s get some food, shall we?”  
Isa and Blue used their smaller size to weave through the crowd, heading for the food. The other sisters were doing the same; custom dictated they would stay in their pairs for the rest of the night, so they could protect each other from unwanted suitors.   
“You have to try all these,” Isa urged, gesturing to the many dishes on the table. “You may never get another chance to dine upon Sanghelios’ best meals.”  
Sangheili plateware consisted of slate-ish slabs that were, in the case of fancy dishware, polished to a shine and cut in long oval or spoon-like shapes, so the Sangheili could easily hold them in the palm of one hand, both thumbs gripped around the stem of the plate. Blue, by contrast, lacking a second thumb and having smaller hands, found the design slightly cumbersome.  
She let Isa direct her what to get, which ended up being a little bit of everything. At the end of the line, they picked up their utensils, consisting of only a strange fork-like object the Sangheili would use to spear their food. Everything was either bite-sized or not a solid (mashed vegetables seemed very popular) so they could just swallow their food. Blue had not expected much chewing to occur with those mandibles, so she wasn’t surprised.  
They got their food and stood near the wall, where it was a bit shadowed. Blue was chewing her food, despite it not being necessary, so she could taste it better.  
“How can you taste the food?” she asked Isa. “You told me this dish was spicy, so you must be able to. But where I’m from, my people can taste because we have a tongue in our mouths, like humans.”  
Isa looked up at her. “Oh, we can taste, in our throats. But how do you taste? You don’t have a tongue either.”  
“Well, I do,” Blue corrected her. “It just also doubles as a flamethrower. Or a laser. Really whatever I need it to be.” She opened her mouth so Isa could see inside; behind her teeth, the flamethrower manifold suddenly dissociated, turning into a homogenous mass of silver material with a faint chain-link pattern. It formed into a basic, forked tongue, then back to the flamethrower nozzle. Isa laughed, surprised.  
“And the answer to your question on how I have a sense of taste is a complicated bit of robotics.” Blue took another bite of food. “Do you really think I could live life without being able to taste?”  
“That would be horrible,” Isa agreed. “You would miss out on this absolutely delectable colo!”  
A flash of gold caught their attention; ‘Ayanam had made it through the crowd and was walking towards them. He looked a mixture of shocked, awed, and annoyed.  
“Oh boy,” Isa muttered, stuffing another bite of colo into her mandibles. “Here he comes. Brace yourselves.”  
“What put this crazy idea in your head?” ‘Ayanam grumbled to Isa, looking around cautiously. “Dancing for the bachelors?”  
“Mumtaz did,” Isa replied, looking her brother square in the eye, refusing to be cowed. “She said it is my right, as a single woman of this keep.”  
‘Ayanam cursed under his breath, shaking his head. “Pray Kria has not noticed you. I do not want him to hurt you.”  
“I am accompanied by the Ascendant,” Isa replied stoutly. “She required a dance partner of suitable height.”  
‘Ayanam turned his critical eye to Blue. “Oh, so it was your idea too?” He shook his head. “I trust you greatly, Ascendant. Hopefully Kria will accept your excuse, if he requires it.”  
“Isa is a fully-grown individual,” Blue told him sternly. “I see no reason why she cannot participate as any other would.”  
‘Ayanam sighed, shoulders drooping. “I knew you would not. You are so...progressive. I was hoping you would not find out about her, and think worse of me for it. But...I am just trying to protect you, Isa.” His eyes got softer. “You are my sister. I love you. And I know Kria has hurt you before.”  
“I love you too, Roc,” Isa replied quietly, lowering her head. “I just want you to treat me like a normal person, instead of something dishonorable. It hurts me when you do that, even if you’re trying to protect me.”  
‘Ayanam bowed his head. “That is all I have ever tried to do.”  
Isa’s eyes were sad. “It comes across like you’re trying to hide me. Like everyone else does.”  
‘Ayanam shook his head. “I am tired of how people look at you. I am tired of how people look at Mumtaz. I am tired of how people stare at our family, with such pity.” His hands balled up into fists.  
“I think you are being too hard on yourself,” Blue suggested. “Don’t let what other people think about your family get to your head! Do their opinions really matter?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you want to know what the Arbiter told me?”  
‘Ayanam looked curious. “What? What did he say?”  
“He told me your family has no reason to be ashamed of Mumtaz,” she told him. “He says her issue is not one of bad blood, but a broken heart. What word matters more than his?”  
‘Ayanam looked like he almost didn’t believe her. “The Arbiter...said that? Well...in that case…” he straightened up. “The Arbiter’s word matters over all. Maybe I have been wrong in how I think of our grandmother.”  
Blue nodded. “Do not let your honor blind you from loving your family for who they are! You are of ancient blood, strong and determined. Every river must go through its twists and turns before it reaches the sea.”  
“Blue danced with me,” Isa broke in. “She has taken the place of a sister to me. What can be more honorable than being the sister of the Ascendant?” She wrinkled her nose. “Did you even notice? You were busy stuffing your face. Seriously, when are you going to pay any attention to the ladies?”  
‘Ayanam ignored her jab. “Your words are true; sisters dance together, and the dance is supposed to be taken seriously. But do you really think the others will actually take this seriously?” He gestured briefly at the crowd behind them. “Never before has someone not a Sangheili danced with the women. It breaks tradition.”  
“Did you see them???” Isa hissed, pointing at Blue. “They were entranced by her!”  
‘Ayanam nodded admittingly. “I must say...you were stunning, Blue.” He looked at Isa. “You too, sister. You looked...beautiful.”  
Isa’s smile was in her eyes. “So you were watching. Thank you, brother.”  
‘Ayanam looked over his shoulder. “I should return…” he huffed a bit. “You seem so worried about my courting life. I will have you know, the ladies have been swarming me, and must be pouting greatly in my absence.”  
“Oh, you big playboy,” Isa snorted, crossing her arms. “You always talk so much about finding a wife, and then never actually act on it.”  
“Well, I have a lot of choices now, as a Shipmaster and General,” he chuckled coyly.  
“I will not be holding my breath in anticipation,” Isa replied sarcastically. Blue snorted most unprofessionally into her mashed vegetables.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	23. 2.20: The Stowaway

2.20: The Stowaway

“I will miss them very much,” ‘Ayanam told Blue as their Phantom flew away from their keep. “I hope they will stay safe in these troubled times.”  
The morning after the festivities, Kria had once again been enraged. Someone had told him about Isa.  
Blue caught wind of the trouble thanks to her sharp ears; Kria’s rancid voice drifted down the hallway, from where a nervous servent stood before his door, delivering the news. She fled from the tower to Isa’s quarters, where she lived with the rest of her aunts. She alerted them, and they scattered.  
Kria came storming through a few minutes later, to find no one. The draconic expertly hid every single one of the women from him for the rest of the day, to let his anger simmer down. That was the hope, at least.  
But, despite their efforts, he finally found Isa in the evening. Luck was to thank, though; at the time, she was accompanied by both Blue and ‘Ayanam, the General in armor.  
“Ascendant, Shipmaster,” the elder greeted them curtly as he approached. His expression was carefully guarded, but his eyes were stone-cold. “I hope you are well today.”  
“We are very well, thank you,” ‘Ayanam replied, inclining his head.  
Kria’s harsh eyes fell on Isa, who stiffened her spine and looked up at him, trying hard to keep her expression neutral.  
“Isa ‘Ayanam,” Kria spoke stiffly. “You danced at the party last night, without permission to do so.”  
“I required a suitable dance partner,” Blue interjected before Isa had the chance to say anything damning. “Isa ‘Ayanam is of the correct age for the dance, and is the only individual of my height. Would you have denied me the dance?”  
“I-no, of course not,” Kria rescued his response, putting one hand over his chest. “While I cannot guess your motive for joining our customs in such a way, I could never dream of denying the honor to one as exalted as you.” He had caught himself expertly. “Indeed, I must be humbled and honored that you chose to join us as you did. Clearly, this keep and this family has made a positive impression on you.”  
Blue nodded respectfully. “ I am single, am of marriageable age, and would rather participate in the ceremonies as a member of society than stand up at the front, alienated. Surely, you understand that.” Her tone made it clear she wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation.  
Kria nodded stiffly. “Of course, Ascendant.”  
They had parted quickly after that. Isa deflated, shrinking and drooping her head. Not long after that, she had parted from them, muttering something about needing to find Mumtaz.  
“I will miss Isa,” Blue replied to ‘Ayanam, back on the transport. “She was enjoyable to be around.” She had enjoyed her nights training the small Sangheili; she had given her many martial forms to work on in their short time. It was nowhere near to the formal training her brother had received, but she hoped it would help. If Kria ever did come after her, she would at least have some means of protecting herself.  
“You like the spunky ones,” ‘Ayanam muttered. “I do not understand that about you.”  
Blue shrugged. “One must have great spirit to harness the power of the stars.”  
There was a cluster of Kig-Yar field workers that were going back to the rendezvous point with them, as well as some Unggoy from the surrounding area. They were planning on joining High Charity’s population; the Kig-Yar themselves had already pledged allegiance to Blue’s brood.  
“I hope Kria leaves my family alone,” ‘Ayanam growled twitchily. “But I am not worried. Ruzam and the other uncles will protect them.”  
“It is strange you give only basic combat training to the women,” Blue commented. “It seems illogical.”  
“It is tradition,” ‘Ayanam replied. “Sangheili women do not have a place on the field of battle. They are not fit to fight.”  
“Excuse me?” the draconic asked, tilting her head. “I identify as female, and I will kick your ass any day.”  
‘Ayanam wouldn’t look at her. “You are not a Sangheili.”  
“And you have effectively removed half of your battle force from the field,” Blue replied pointedly. “Think, Shipmaster. Because of this war, and the fighting that continues, your kind are losing your males. Keeps are being left unguarded, and with the women unable to efficiently defend themselves, they are slaughtered like livestock. You know the fate of the Nes’alun keep.”  
She saw the flash of fear in his eyes. If a full keep attacked his own, they would be unable to defend themselves if the males were compromised. He knew it.  
“Perhaps, but I am in no position to determine who can train,” he admitted.  
“Hopefully, we will get families moving to High Charity,” the draconic continued, now feeling a little guilty for scaring him. “All individuals, regardless of gender or species, will be offered basic combat training. And, once I get the Ministry of Training onboard, female Sangheili will be allowed to enlist for combat duty.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I won’t have a single able hand go to waste on my station. We have ships that are undermanned, commanders that are needed. Jobs to be filled. We move forward together.”  
“You have great visions for the future, and I must honor your orders,” ‘Ayanam replied. “While many of your ideas are strange to me, I am in no position to deny you. I just hope you do not find failure a crippling partner.”  
Blue waved her hand dismissively. “I fear neither failure nor difficulty; what I fear is never being brave enough to try something new. And seeing Isa’s spirit, for the week I was around her, has given me the assurance that there is unbridled potential amongst your females.”  
“Isa is...unique,” ‘Ayanam reminded her. “You should not judge us based on her.”  
“We shall see, as time goes on,” Blue replied with a shrug. “I may be wrong, but it is as I said. I must try.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Docking successful.”  
The announcement rang over the intercom, signalling that the cruiser had docked with High Charity. The ship shuddered to a halt, locking into the docks.  
The ship’s passengers all started to stand. Those who had already been standing moved towards the halls that led to the exit, chattering excitedly. Blue uncrossed her arms and pushed off the wall, ‘Ayanam doing the same.  
“It feels good to be back, though I will miss my family greatly,” he said to her. “That pain will fade, in time.”  
Blue nodded understandingly. “I am relieved to return and find High Charity in just as good condition as we left it in. I was so worried my departure would lead to issues, internal and external.”  
So the station could run without her peering over everyone’s shoulders, at least for a Sanghelios-length week. In terms of how fast problems could develop, that was a long time.  
“Your ship seems highly experienced in governmental business,” ‘Ayanam commented. “I am sure he kept things running well.”  
“Aethon would never let things go astray, if he could help it,” Blue agreed, “but I had told him to not involve himself too much beyond his usual work. I wanted to assure the self-sufficiency of this base, in my absence.” She exhaled heavily. “Because I foresee times in the future where I will have to be gone for longer.”  
They followed the flow of the crowd towards the exits, where the ship was connected to High Charity by its network of umbilical docks. There were a lot of people on the ship; all the returning Sangheili, plus Kig-Yar and Unggoy workers who had returned with their masters. And, to her delight, she saw a few Sangheili families amongst them.  
One of the families was accompanied by no armored soldiers; they were refugees from a small farm keep, seeking a better life. They stuck very close together, eyes wide with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. The mother was carrying a young childling who still had the tough plates on the back of his neck.  
They exited the ship, walking through the almost airport-like connection and into the docks. The nearby platforms were all flooded with people, from this ship and another that had just unloaded as well.  
“What a crowd,” Blue commented, looking around. “I have never seen this many people in the docks at once!”  
The last few people were getting off their ship; she saw a Sangheili youngling accompanied by Kig-Yar exit the ship, talking amiably with the servants.  
Her eyes widened. That was no youngling.  
“ISA ‘AYANAM!”  
Practically the entire platform froze when ‘Ayanam’s voice bellowed over the noise of the crowd, so loud it sounded like thunder. Blue jumped in surprise at how loud he was, plates on the back of her neck bristling.  
“Don’t make a scene!” she hissed at him. Looking around at the crowd, she gestured for them to keep moving about their business. She looked back, and ‘Ayanam was already gone from her side.  
“Oh, for crying out loud,” she muttered, neck plates still bristling.  
The Shipmaster was marching angrily through the crowd towards Isa, who was frozen with absolute fright. Her Kig-Yar compatriots had fled the scene, leaving her to her fate.  
‘Ayanam marched right up to her, towering over her. “What. Are. You. DOING?”  
Isa crossed her arms over her chest, trying to look tough, though she was shaking visibly. “I am coming to live on this station, brother.”  
“No you are not,” ‘Ayanam growled in low. “You are going to get back on that ship, and return to Sanghelios and to the keep at once. That is an order!”  
“I am not one of your underlings!” Isa yelled back at him, voice cracking. “You cannot just tell me what to do!”  
“Isa ‘Ayanam,” he repeated, “this is not the place for you. You belong at the keep, where you are safe. How did you even get here?”  
“Mumtaz helped me,” Isa explained hotly. “She knew there was a group of Kig-Yar at a neighboring keep that wanted to come to the station. She contacted the elder and asked him to let me go with them. He is her old friend, so he gladly accepted. I left the keep very early, after I said good-bye, with Mumtaz, who told everyone we were going to forage for fruits at the far end of the river. Instead, we met up with her other friend who owns a velithra, and they gave me a ride there. I took a Phantom with the Kig-Yar to the rendezvous point, and boarded the cruiser.”  
‘Ayanam clapped a hand over his face. “Mumtaz helped you. Mumtaz helped you. Of course. Curse her and her many friends!” He dropped his hand, eyes narrowing angrily. “You WILL return to Sanghelios at once. High Charity is no place for a keepless female!”  
“Then I will establish my own keep!” Isa replied furiously. “Or I will join one! Or, better yet, I will enlist in the military. But I am NOT going back to that planet!” By this point, all the yelling had attracted attention, and the two were the center of a large circle of curious onlookers. The small Sangheili looked around, suddenly noticing the crowd. She whipped back to ‘Ayanam, yellow eyes narrowing furiously. “I will not go back! If I do, Kria will kill me. Or, better yet, I will not give him the satisfaction. I will kill myself!”  
The platform was deadly silent. ‘Ayanam’s amber eyes went wide; he could tell she was being serious.  
“Isa,” he said huskily. “Please, do not speak of such a thing.” He reached out to try and put a hand on her shoulder, but she moved away.  
Blue was standing at the edge of the circle, with her arms crossed. She looked at the rest of the group, and jerked her head towards the exits. The look in her eyes told them that sticking around to oggle would not be tolerated in the slightest.  
‘Ayanam was standing alone, shoulders drooping, head bowed low. He looked utterly defeated.  
“I am staying here,” Isa said to him firmly. “This will be my new home.”  
“I have a proposition,” Blue spoke up quietly, walking up to them and entering the conversation. “I will take Isa on as my personal aide, for I have none at the moment, and one of my status surely deserves one. She will be given a place to stay, and a job to complete. And, as my aide, she will be within my personal protection. ‘Ayanam, does that make you feel better?”  
“I have no choice in the matter,” he replied sullenly. “Do as you wish.” His voice was bitter; he turned from them and walked away, leaving them alone on the platform.  
They watched him go. Blue looked left at Isa. The small Sangheili crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.  
“It is not because he is ashamed of you, despite what you may think,” the draconic told her. “He is too tired of everyone else’s pity to have some for himself. It is because he loves you, and losing you would break his heart.”  
Isa bowed her head, eyes shadowed. “I want to believe those words. I really do.”  
Blue put her hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are not shameful. As my aide, you will be in a position of great respect and responsibility. And if that is not good enough for them, then I will teach you to put them in their place.”  
She gestured towards the paths leading to the city. “Beyond this lies the greatest and most sophisticated military training grounds of any spacefaring vehicle. And no aide of mine would ever not be able to defend herself against an attacker.” She looked Isa in the eye. “Your training will continue, harder than ever. Your people measure success in military prowess; you will show them what you are capable of. And you will prove all their doubts wrong. Are you ready?”  
Isa wiped away the last of the tears from fighting with her brother, sniffed, and nodded. “I am ready.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	24. 2.21: Settling into the Dark

2.21: Settling into the Dark

The humans would call this month August.  
High Charity was floating in deep space, hiding from discovery within a cloud of dust and ions created by the nearby asteroids crashing into each other. The station was cloaked by its environment, floating silently amongst the rocks as its ships slowly circled around it.  
Blue was speaking with the Arbiter about security, which had become a regular conversation as of late. He had been enraged by the information she’d given to him, back on Sanghelios.  
But she had no new intel to offer. She was floating in deep space, far away from everything except frontier colonies. She was nowhere near the minds of anyone important.  
“I cannot afford to elongate this conflict just to pacify a treacherous human,” he growled to her. “You must find a faster way to stop her from using our own food against us!”  
“I am doing my best to keep her operations bogged down,” Blue promised, pinching the bridge of her nose tiredly. “But the safety of my station is critical as well, and if her people were to board us, millions could die. I cannot risk approaching any populated planets until our defenses are better.”  
The assault carrier was still docked. Still broken. Other ships were in the same situation. The station was still undergoing heavy construction, internal and external.  
“We have a few Huragok under our possession,” the Arbiter said suddenly, engaging Blue’s interest. “Perhaps we could spare one...for this extremely critical matter.”  
“That would be greatly appreciated,” the draconic replied, perking up. “It would speed our work greatly.”  
The Arbiter nodded. “Very well. We will send a fleet to deliver it to you. I will give you coordinates to meet us at.”  
Once their conversation was over, Blue relayed the coordinates up to flight command, and the station started to move, ships falling in with it.  
“Did it go well?” Isa was outside the private communications room, sitting on the floor. She was wearing simple clothing, similar to that of the San’Shyuum aides, but designed to fit a Sangheili, and decidedly more militant in style. She wore a long-sleeved, light overcoat that buttoned magnetically in the middle; under it was a sleeveless shirt tucked into her small utility belt, and leggings of sorts, very similar to what the fighters wore under their armor, connected to the material encasing her feet. She carried with her a plasma pistol at all times, under her overcoat. And now, she knew how to use it.  
Blue nodded and exhaled the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “He is sending us a Huragok. With that, we will finally be able to repair the assault cruiser, and the rest of the ships.”  
Isa clapped her hands gleefully. “Oh, that is wonderful! Shall we return to Yalar now, and pick up Raion?”  
Blue nodded. “At once.”  
They returned to Yalar’s low tower, the pair taking the stairs since Isa couldn’t fly to the window like Blue could. She knocked politely, and the San’Shyuum admitted them with a smile.  
“All went well, I hope?” she asked as they entered.  
Blue nodded. “The Arbiter remains in good health, as do his holdings. We believe we are close to a solution.”  
Yalar’s child, Prema, peeked around the corner, green eyes wide. She had just recently started to crawl, to the delight of her mother and her aide.  
“She is a bit ahead in development, I would believe,” Yalar had said. “Most children lag far behind what used to be normal…” she fell into uneasy silence.  
“I hope Raion has been gentle?” Blue asked. “Raion! Are you hiding again?”  
Something chuckled inside a cabinet. Blue walked over to it and opened the door, poking her head inside. “Real stealth operatives don’t chuckle when they hide, silly!”  
A hand grabbed her nose. Raion had grown enough that he could almost get his thumbs to reach across the length of the armored plates that ran up the bridge of her nose. Soon, he would be able to grab her nose with enough grip to drag her head around.  
Blue drew her head back out, dragging the childling with her. He let go of her and dropped to the floor.  
He’d grown a lot in five months. He still had the tough plates along the back of his neck, but she’d been told he would have them for many years, well through his first decade. By now, he came up to just under her hocks, standing upright.  
“Raion has been very gentle with Prema,” Yalar replied reassuringly. “He still gets bored of her easily, but will not attempt to play with her like he did before.”  
“Very good, Raion,” Blue said to the childling, eyes warm. His eyes shone happily back at her and he nodded.  
“He still has not spoken a word yet,” Yalar told her worriedly. By now, Prema could say a handful of words, though it was doubtful if she yet understood their meaning. The San’Shyuum child was a good four months older than Raion; however, Blue had learned that Sangheili childlings began preliminary lingual development while still in the shell; mothers often sang to their eggs to speed the development.  
“I’m afraid he is suffering from mental trauma,” the draconic replied heavily. “I can sense it in his mind. His mother’s death so early in life, and the events afterwards, have left him shocked inside. He may never speak.”  
Yalar’s eyes widened. “Is...this something we can correct?”  
Blue nodded. “Perhaps, but encouraging him to speak may lead to further trauma. As you know, the disruption of a young one’s mental state is catastrophic.”  
“He still is dear to me, either way,” Yalar said, smiling at the childling. “As long as he can understand us, even if we cannot understand him.”  
“I have located a female Sangheili amongst those who came from Sanghelios who is willing to help you care for him,” Blue told the San’Shyuum. “She is elderly and has much experience with raising children. I can arrange for you two to meet, if you’d like.”  
Yalar nodded. “I would like for my aide, Shelat, to come as well, since they will be working together.” The San’Shyuum was giving more of her time to her Ministerial duties now, leaving the children with her aide more often.  
“Of course.” Blue had anticipated that request. “I will arrange for that. If you two see that this development may go well, she can start working for you as soon as possible.”  
Once her conversations with Yalar were completed, she was yet again running off to another assignment. Her work was never done; Isa was fast becoming a champion at endurance running, chasing the draconic all over the station.  
And Isa wasn’t just becoming a good runner - she was learning how to fight. In the months since leaving Sanghelios, she had dedicated many hours of every day to practice. Blue couldn’t spare much time to personally train her, so she spent the majority of her drilling under the supervision of a drillmaster. Blue had handpicked the drillmaster - he was younger, currently training incoming Kig-Yar and Unggoy infantry. He had put up a fuss, but not as much as some of the crotchety old drillmasters would have. And an order from the Ascendant was enough to shut his mandibles. And now, after seeing that Isa was not, in fact, inept, he was eating his own words.  
As part of her training from her home keep, she knew how to fire a plasma pistol and a plasma rifle, though not very well. Now, she was adept with the pistol, and learning fast with the rifle. She’d gotten much stronger, was able to train for longer, and moved faster, whether in reacting, dodging, or running. She could handle a training staff pretty well, and could hold her own in hand-to-hand combat against foes her size or smaller. Fighting off full-sized Sangheili she was still struggling with, but Blue had faith. Baby steps.  
She sensed incoming communications from Fleetmaster ‘Tusam. She cocked her head, signalling to Isa that she was speaking with someone.  
 _We have just received a distress broadcast from the colony of Duraan. They are under attack by a cruiser-class vessel, presumably under Jiralhanae control.  
Duraan is a frontier colony. They have no defenses to their name against a cruiser!  
The Ministry of Defense has been alerted. We are not near enough to Duraan that a brief slipspace jump by enemy vessels could bring them to us, but we still must be vigilant. We are close enough to Duraan to cause concern._  
Blue switched her mental connection from ‘Tusam to the Minister of Defense. _Continue en route to the rendezvous point with the Arbiter. Delay slipspace jump until I am clear of the station.  
It shall be done, Ascendant, he replied, knowing what she was talking about._  
She switched back to ‘Tusam. _This station shall continue to the rendezvous. I will jump to Duraan and investigate. Reports were of only one ship attacking?  
Yes, Ascendant. Will you require an escort? The battlecruiser Dawn’s Return is willing to accompany you. One of the flight crew has family on the planet.  
Slipspace will take too long; I will be leaving aboard Aethon.  
By your word, Ascendant._  
Blue turned to Isa. “I must be going. You may roam as you wish until I return.”  
“Where are you going?” Isa asked.  
Blue, who was already walking away, turned over her shoulder and replied, “Duraan.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	25. 2.22: Shadow of Intent

2.22: Shadow of Intent

Aethon dropped out of hyperspace within sight of the planet, a mottled, orange-brown world which held a particular orbit, where one half of the planet was in permanent sun, the other in permanent dark. Only the lit half was occupiable; the dark half was as frigid as space itself.  
Blue wasn’t focusing on the planet, however. She was more interested in the extraordinarily strange sight in front of her: two ships, locked in combat, right next to each other.  
“What is the meaning of that?” she asked incredulously. “The smaller cruiser will most certainly be destroyed by such a maneuver!”  
“Sensors are picking up large amounts of solar radiation coming from the star this planet orbits,” Aethon reported. “The radiation seems to have disrupted the two ships’ energy shields and plasma weaponry.”  
“What is their game?” Blue growled. “This stinks of a trap.”  
“A trap not for us, but for the ship,” Aethon told her. “That is the assault carrier Shadow of Intent, though I’m sure you’ve already recognized it. The smaller cruiser is completely abandoned, according to my lifescans. They have boarded the carrier with their entire crew!”  
“Shadow of Intent has but a skeleton crew,” Blue murmured cautiously. “They might not win this fight. Sounds like the crew of the attacking ship is trying their luck at an aggressive gamble.”  
“Judging by my abilities to identify species based on thermal and energy signatures, I’d say the Sangheili are bringing this to victory, to my great relief,” Aethon told her. “The majority of the Jiralhanae are trapped in a launch bay. They aren’t making it to the command center any time soon.”  
“Bring us in, and hail the ship,” Blue ordered. “See if they would like any help, anyways.”  
Aethon’s thrusters burst, and he moved towards the ships. They were still quite far away, the planet only the size of a marble.  
They crossed the space relatively quickly, Blue herself sensing the radiation sent up by the strong solar flares as they got closer. Radiation itself was a tricky deal with energetic technology - it could be destructive to sensitive systems, especially long-range communications and other technology that involved sending out electromagnetic waves. Solar flares could disrupt signals as they exited or entered hyperspace, potentially slowing, garbling, or even destroying them. However, it was harmless to energized shielding, which was commonly used to protect sensitive equipment, as it was on Aethon.  
“It seems that the ship is very preoccupied with fighting the invaders,” Aethon reported. “Shipmaster ‘Vadum has left the flight deck.”  
“Can you track him?” Blue asked. “His life is of the most value, should we wish for this to end well.”  
“Unfortunately, I cannot until we are closer,” Aethon replied. “Thermal imaging at this distance cannot discern identity, and his energy signature is too close to that of the other Sangheili.”  
Blue reached her mind out, feeling for the lives aboard the ship. She found ‘Vadum; he was accompanied by one other, and they were running. Running towards a group of enemies.  
“They’re engaging,” Blue reported. “Ahead full! If things start to go south, I need to be close enough to interact precisely. Personal business be damned, I will get involved.”  
Aethon sped up; Blue kept close tabs on the fight. At this distance, her accuracy wouldn’t be guaranteed, since her powers were limited. Casting energy over longer distances was more strenuous.  
The battle was heated; she mixed thermal, energy signatures, and telepathy together to track it the best she could. ‘Vadum wasn’t fighting alone; his second-in-command was with him. There were other Sangheili, and a single Unggoy. They were fighting Jiralhanae and a single San’Shyuum.  
Her eyes widened. A San’Shyuum? They didn’t fight. But this one was holding his own against multiple well-trained opponents.  
Well, not quite. He was outnumbered, and his Jiralhanae were in the process of being mowed down like weeds. But still, the fact a San’Shyuum was actually fighting was impressive. And suspicious.  
She narrowed her eyes. The San’Shyuum’s energy signatures were much higher than usual for his species, and for any organic lifeform in general.  
“I think they have this fight under control,” Blue said cautiously as she saw yet another Jiralhanae signature die down. But what of the San’Shyuum?  
“It would seem so, but things can change in an instant,” Aethon replied. “You’ve also seen this San’Shyuum, I assume. And that Unggoy is huge!”  
They were close enough that the planet loomed large in their vision. Aethon turned, carving a slow curve through the darkness that brought him parallel to the two ships. He flew alongside them, positioning himself near to where the fighting was happening internally.  
Through thermal, the draconic could easily see what was happening. And, at that moment, the San’Shyuum turned to flee.  
Blue winced. “That looked like it hurt.” The San’Shyuum had received a nice fist to the head from the oversized Unggoy. Another strike and he was down for the count.  
“The rest of the Jiralhanae are fighting out their lives in the hangar,” Aethon reported. “The ship has been secured. All enemies are down.”  
“Perhaps we will finally get a reply to our hail, then,” Blue said.  
“Well, they obviously know we’re here,” Aethon replied, a bit bothered. He did a barrel roll alongside the ship, and some of the laser turrets cautiously followed him.  
Blue crossed her arms and awaited a response, knowing it could take a few minutes before anyone got back onto communications.  
“This is the Shadow of Intent. We have received your hail.” ‘Vadum’s voice sounded over Aethon’s intercom. “We are grateful for the help you have offered, though it was unnecessary.”  
“I am glad your crew has everything under control,” Blue replied. “We received the distress call from Duraan and departed immediately, not knowing you would be here as well. I must say, it is a pleasant surprise to run into you again.”  
She had not seen ‘Vadum since the Ark. He had been above Earth during the Voi ceremony, but hadn’t attended the ceremony itself. He was a shipmaster of such experience and model personality, despite their past differences in handling combat strategy.  
“As always, we are honored to be in your presence,” ‘Vadum replied. Blue hoped he was being sincere; their earlier interactions had not always been the prettiest. His decision to glass Voi to rid it of the Jiralhanae had left her furious, and he had been quite displeased with her decision to hide Cortana from knowledge after Aethon had captured the AI trying to hack him.  
“Do you require any further service?” Blue asked. “While we are here, we may as well help.”  
The other end of the line was silent for a few moments. Then, “Perhaps. Your telepathy may be of use to us, seeing we have acquired a prisoner.”  
So they wanted her to figure out what the San’Shyuum was up to by reading his mind. Fair enough. It would be simpler than any other method.  
“I would be glad to assist,” the draconic replied. “Aethon is prepared to dock.”  
“Very well. I will send an escort to meet you and bring you to the brig.”  
The line dropped. Aethon wheeled around, receiving directions to the hanger they’d be expected at.  
They approached the energy barriers, which admitted them. Aethon maneuvered himself carefully; the hangar was shared by multiple other smaller craft as well.  
“My, this is a large place,” he commented. “You could probably fit an entire other ship in here!”  
“Good thought,” Blue said, thinking about their own disabled assault cruiser.  
There were three Sangheili waiting on the hangar floor for them as Aethon landed with a gentle bump. Blue trotted to the hatch in the floor of the cabin and opened it, revealing the ladder down to the ground. She jumped through the hatch, the rungs retracting so the passage became a slide.  
She shot out of the bottom of Aethon, landing lightly nevertheless. The three Sangheili bowed their heads respectfully.  
“Welcome aboard, Ascendant,” one of them said. “Shipmaster ‘Vadum sends his regrets that he cannot greet you personally, but we are short on crew and the prisoner must be monitored very carefully. He is waiting for you.”  
“I understand completely,” Blue assured them. “Please, take me to the shipmaster.”  
They exited the hanger through a nearby door, though not before Blue noticed the bloodstains on the far side of the floor, colors of both species.  
They headed to the ship’s brig, which was ridiculously far away because the ship was so damn massive. So naturally, it took a while, even at their good pace. The brig was in a secure area of the ship, far away from anything important (or anything an escaped prisoner might like to find), which meant it was also far away from the hangar.  
Upon finally reaching the brig, they stepped through the heavy guard door and into a room inhabited by four others. Rtas ‘Vadum himself was present of course, as was his second-in-command, the Blademaster Vul ‘Soran. Blue recognized him from her time during the Schism; he had been a deadly individual on the ground, both in terms of his combat skill and leadership abilities. The others were a Sangheili Blue didn’t recognize, and the San’Shyuum prisoner.  
“Shipmaster, Blademaster,” Blue greeted them with respect, bowing her head and doing her traditional fingers-between-eyes gesture. “It is good to see you again.”  
Both individuals bowed their heads respectfully in return. “We are honored by your presence,” ‘Vadum said. “Even further by your willingness to help us.”  
“I believed I would be alone out here, when I left High Charity for this planet,” Blue admitted. “I am pleased to have run into good company, though I wish it would have been in a more peaceful time.”  
“How is the Holy City, Ascendant?” ‘Soran questioned, voice permanently stuck at a not-indoor volume from his long years commanding within the Covenant military.  
“We are thriving,” Blue told him. “The station is seeking agricultural self-sufficiency, and I believe we will reach that goal ahead of schedule. Moral is high, and our workers attack every project with determination.” It was the short-and-happy version of the station, which left out all the extra, less pleasant bits. The continued tension between the Unggoy and Kig-Yar, the threat of Kilo-Five, and so on.  
“I am glad to hear it,” ‘Soran proclaimed. “I would dearly like to walk those halls again, when the time comes for me to retire from this business of war.”  
“Speaking of such,” ‘Vadum redirected the conversation back to their original subject. “Blue, this is Scion Tul ‘Juran of Rahnelo.” He gestured to the third Sangheili. “Her planet was attacked by the same band of miscreants that attacked Duraan, and they have killed her kaidon and her brothers.” He gestured to the still-unconscious San’Shyuum inside the cell. “He led the attacks. We know not why, or if he is working with another. But he is an enemy to be reckoned with.”  
Blue nodded respectfully to ‘Juran, surprised to see a female Sangheili aboard the ship, but then again, conditions were pressing, and with her kaidon and brothers dead...perhaps she was the highest ranking individual left in her keep. She looked back to the prisoner.  
“He is not a normal San’Shyuum,” she said. “I can tell.”  
“He is a Prelate,” ‘Vadum explained. “Genetically enhanced San’Shyuum designed to be supersoldiers. They are exceptionally dangerous on the battlefield, as we learned during the Schism. It is unknown how many escaped High Charity, but it seems that we have found at least one that did.”  
“I have been told of that order by my own San’Shyuum,” Blue recalled. “A member of the current Ministry of Technology used to work within the Ministry of Preparation.”  
‘Vadum nodded. “Let us enter this cell and wait for him to awaken. We must learn what he knows.” He looked at Blue. “With your help, this should be easy.”  
The cell barrier was opened to admit ‘Vadum and Blue; there was a short bench attached to the wall that ‘Vadum sat down on. Blue stood in the corner across from him, her stillness making her almost seem like part of the wall itself.  
The Prelate was stirring, slowly shaking off his stupor. He groaned, a hand moving to his aching head.  
Blue decided to wait for him to awaken fully before exploring his mind; she wanted to see what he would say at first, before she found the real answers. The contrast between reality, truth, and the spoken word could reveal many things.  
The first thing he did when he realized his situation was glare angrily at ‘Vadum. He had yet to notice Blue’s presence; she cocked her head a little. _So he has beef with the Shipmaster, it seems._  
“Prelate Tem’Bhetek,” ‘Vadum greeted his prisoner. “I had wondered if I would ever run into your kind again. This is a strange stretch of space to encounter someone like yourself.”  
“Wondered?” Tem spat. “Hoping we were all killed by your nefarious kind, more like. You stole High Charity from us, the San’Shyuum, its rightful residents. Slaughtered us down to the last one, you did. Are you out here, hunting for the rest that escaped, to satisfy your insatiable bloodlust?”  
Blue was shocked by the pure bile in the Prelate’s words; hate such as this had to have an origin beyond what was normal. She narrowed her eyes, and set herself to explore his mind. Tem winced and put his hand to his head again.  
“We did not steal High Charity from anyone,” ‘Vadum replied. “We were rightful residents just as you were. We did not choose to start the Schism - that was your kind’s doing.”  
“Your kind is weak,” Tem spat. “Blinded by honor and tradition. You deserved what we had for you.”  
“Prelate Tem’Bhetek,” Blue spoke up from the shadows. “Your wife and child are alive.”  
The Prelate was on his feet so fast Blue barely saw him stand up; the guards outside the cell all jumped and lifted their weapons, though they’d be useless, separated from the interior by the shield barrier. ‘Vadum was calmly unmoved, arms crossed over his chest.  
“So you have brought the creature with you,” Tem growled, glaring at the draconic with one eye of green and one of blue. “May she see the suffering you have caused me! And now she comes here to spout the most treacherous of lies.”  
“Your wife and child are alive,” Blue repeated, stepping out from her shadowed corner. “Yalar’Otan’Elat is alive. Her daughter, Prema’Elat, is nine months old now, and in fantastic health. Yalar is my Minister of Dispute, and I do admit she is one of my best employees. High Charity would be at a loss without her.”  
“You lie!” Tem re-accused. “You and your savage warriors killed every last San’Shyuum aboard High Charity in cold blood!”  
“Did the Minister of Preparation tell you that?” Blue asked. Tem stared at her in shock.  
“Y-yes, he did,” he admitted. “But to what end? You just drew that fact, my relationship with him, from my mind! It means nothing!”  
“High Charity is home to over four hundred San’Shyuum who are under my personal protection,” Blue told him. “They have sworn their loyalty to my cause. No warrior under my command with any idea of honor would dare try to touch them.”  
“Nor would many want to,” ‘Vadum added. “We know who our betrayers were, and the wrath of the Ascendant is not something much desired.”  
“You lie,” Tem repeated again, pointing an accusing finger at her. “This is all a farce, to try and get me on your side. I can see right through you!”  
Blue put her finger to her temple. “Aethon, I need you to head to the rendezvous. I’m not sure when High Charity will arrive, but when it does, you need to go find Yalar and Prema. If the Prelate will not believe my words, then perhaps he will believe theirs.”  
 _It could be a few days until the station arrives,_ Aethon cautioned.   
“We will be undergoing slipspace travel too,” Blue assured him. “You will have time.”  
She lowered her hand. “I would never let a mother and child be murdered in cold blood, not when I have the ability to stop such an act. You have been lied to, Tem’Bhetek. Without your help, the Minister of Preparation would have never escaped High Charity. He feared for his life, so he lied to you to get your protection.”  
Tem looked outraged, but Blue could see the uncertainty in his eyes.  
“Are you familiar with the story behind the name of your ship?” ‘Vadum asked the Prelate.  
Tem shook his head. He had become stoically quiet, wrestling with his own mind.  
“It is a reference to an ancient Sangheili legend,” the Shipmaster continued. “The Ballad of Kel ‘Darsam.”  
“And what of it?” the Prelate muttered. He sat back down in the far corner of his cell, trying to ignore the other two people in there with him.  
“It is a story of the warrior-hero Kel ‘Darsam, renowned for his bravery and cunning, explorer of the wild oceans and slayer of the many terrible sea creatures who hid beneath the waves,” ‘Vadum was unbothered by Tem’s attempts to ignore him. “It is a story of his life and his death, though the ballad itself has two endings.”  
With that, the shipmaster started to sing. Despite his missing mandibles, his voice was strikingly beautiful, deep and emotional. Blue crossed her arms and politely reminded herself that letting her surprise show through would be horribly rude.  
She knew whereabouts the Shipmaster was going with this tale. She wasn’t familiar with it, but all she had to do was listen to the words to understand.  
Tem was doing his best to not hint at his response to the song, but Blue could tell he was becoming incredibly torn between his own two versions of had occurred aboard High Charity. The Minister, or her. Reading his mind was like reading a storm surge. Who was telling the truth?  
“ _Kel 'Darsam fell, spear in his back, Down to the rocks where the waves did crack,_ ” ‘Vadum sang on, until the end of the song. Everyone was quiet, in the cell and out of it.  
“You have a choice to make,” the Shipmaster said. “Who is it that has thrown the spear against you?”  
“Leave me,” Tem mumbled, not looking up from the corner.  
‘Vadum nodded respectfully, and the barrier was lowered to allow him and Blue to exit. The Prelate remained slumped in the corner, unmoving.  
“We have further work to do,” the dragonic claimed, watching him. “I saw many things in this mind. The Minister of Preparation is preparing a weapon of unknown capacity to use against Sanghelios. He is working aboard a Forerunner facility in deep space. The coordinates to such will be aboard the cruiser’s navigational databanks. We must move swiftly, for the weapon is in working order.” She met ‘Vadum’s gaze evenly. “But we must be cautious, for the reason they wanted this vessel was so they could properly power and transport their weapon. Bring the ship to them, and we play into their hands.”  
“You have sent your own ship away,” ‘Vadum replied. “What other choice do we have?”  
“I can call him back,” the draconic offered. “Unless you see your own ship as necessary for another reason?”  
“Your ship can fly unnoticed, yes?” ‘Vadum questioned.  
“Of course,” Blue replied. “Unless the Minister of Preparation has discovered energetic technology, he will not be able to detect Aethon’s approach.”  
“But will your ship be able to get us inside the facility?” ‘Vadum pressed. “It may be well protected, and of Forerunner origin, having defenses of monumental capabilities.”  
“The Minister is expecting the Prelate to return with the Shadow of Intent or not return at all,” Blue admitted. “It is unlikely he would allow anything but this ship to approach.” She frowned, thinking. “If Tem was won over, he could fly the ship in, pretending his mission had been successful. But, at the moment, he is still torn. He needs the solid proof I can provide. Aethon’s return may not be for many days, as well. I am not sure if delay would be harmful.”  
“If it is true that the Minister cannot transport or power his weapon without this ship, then what harm will a few days do?” the Blademaster interjected his own thought into a pause in the conversation.  
“A good thought,” ‘Vadum agreed. “I am willing to wait.”  
Blue nodded. “I see no problem in that as well.”  
“But if Yalar herself cannot convince the Prelate to join us, what shall we do?” ‘Soran asked. “As unexpected as that seems, we must anticipate all outcomes.”  
“The Minister has a second use for his weapon as well,” Blue told the Blademaster evenly. “After Sanghelios, he wishes to track down High Charity and use it there as well, to take the station back for himself.”  
“Back for himself?” ‘Soran questioned. “Will this weapon, able to wipe out an entire planet, even leave behind anything worth salvaging?”  
“This is no conventional weapon,” Blue told them. “It is a prototype Halo, a smaller version of the Installations we are familiar with. It destroys only what lives, and nothing else.” She lifted her head. “The Minister would be responsible for the true deaths of Tem’s family if he fired on High Charity. If that information does not convince him, then he is truly mad.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	26. 2.23: Spark of Revelation

2.23: Spark of Revelation

While waiting for Aethon’s return, much of the crew went planetside, as did Blue, to help the settlers on Duraan recover from the recent attack by the Spear of Light. The Ascendant returned to the Shadow of Intent as soon as she received Aethon’s hail of arrival.  
Yalar had been shocked near to tears when she was informed that her husband had been found. It took some convincing to get her to come, torn between her work, her worry, and her want to see him again. She feared he would not be the same person that he had been before, twisted by his want for revenge.  
Prema, a little young for this sort of adventure, was left behind in the care of the aide, Shelat. Yalar had donned her nicest yellow robes, and with a deep breath departed the station aboard Aethon.  
The ship docked in the hangar of the assault carrier, opening his cargo bay door to let his passenger out. She cautiously exited the ship, received by Blue herself in the company of ‘Vadum, ‘Juran, and ‘Soran.  
“Thank you so much for coming, Yalar,” Blue sincerely thanked the San’Shyuum. “I am sorry to be parting you from your work and child, but this is urgent, as you understand.”  
Yalar nodded nervously. “I am overjoyed to hear that my husband lives, but I fear he may be too far gone for me to save. He was intensely loyal to his cause, as dark as it became. I shudder to think that all this rage was created by a single lie…” She shook her head tearfully. “That the Minister of Preparation told him I had been killed in order to get him to flee the station with him…”  
“If it will reassure you, I still see hope in his mind,” Blue told the nervous Minister. She grimly set her jaw. “But even I cannot predict if seeing your face again will resolve his grief. His anger against the Sangheili has more to do with than just your apparent demise.”  
They escorted Yalar to the brig where her husband was being held, brooding in the corner of his cell. Throughout the days, Blue had periodically checked on him; he had remained indecisive and quiet.  
They brought an impressive group of guards with them, though the Ascendant didn’t think they’d need them. The brig’s heavy door opened, revealing the room beyond, with its many cells.  
“Prelate,” Blue called. “You have a visitor.”  
She didn’t get a response, as expected. But the Prelate lifted his head, knowing very well who this visitor could be. Despite his conflicting thoughts, he had held onto that spark of hope: the hope that the Minister had been lying, and Blue had not.  
They stepped in front of the cell with Blue, Yalar, and ‘Vadum in front. Yalar took a step towards the cell, eyes widening at the sight of her husband. She put one of her hands over her mouth, eyes glittering.  
Tem stared at her in shock, frozen. Slowly, he got to his feet, and walked towards the front of the cell, almost like he was sleepwalking.  
Yalar put one of her hands on the shield barrier, looking through it longingly. Tem, on the other side, put his hand up to hers.  
Blue nodded to the Sangheili at the control panel, and he lowered the barrier. The field flickered and vanished, and the two San’Shyuum touched hands.  
The moment that happened, it was as if some physical shock had emanated through the room. Yalar flung herself into Tem’s arms, crying. He held her tight to himself, wordless mouth open in shock.  
“You are...you are alive,” he stuttered. “You are alive!”  
“Of course I am alive,” Yalar snorted. “Close your silly mouth, Tem.” she put her hand under his chin and closed his mouth for him. “It is me. Oh, Tem, I thought I would never see you again.”  
“What of the child?” the Prelate asked, realizing there was no child aboard.  
“It was not safe for her to come with us,” Yalar explained. “But she is just as real as I, I assure you. Here, look.”  
She withdrew from her robes a small viewing screen, partner to one that had been left with Shelat. She pressed a button on the side, and the screen flickered to life, showing a view of Yalar’s apartment. The aide rushed into the screen, hearing the device beeping. She gasped and picked up the tablet.  
“Prema! Prema!” she called. “It is your mother!”  
The aide ran into another room, where the San’Shyuum child was playing with a small puzzle block. Raion was crouched next to her, seemingly curious about the puzzle she was solving.  
The aide scooped up the child and awkwardly held the tablet away from herself, trying to get them both in view. She looked exactly like someone’s parent trying to take a selfie for the first time.  
“My child…” Tem gasped quietly.  
“Prema’Elat,” Yalar said. “Her name is Prema’Elat. I...I didn’t want to give her your name, because I fear what other people would think…”  
“Prema…” Tem repeated. The child looked at him through the screen with large green eyes. He reached for the screen, touching it gently. “Prema’Elat. It is a beautiful name.”  
“This is your father, Prema,” Yalar told the child. She stared at them for a little longer, and then cracked a small smile, ducking her head shyly.  
“I will see you soon, love,” Yalar promised. “Be good!” She lowered the tablet and shut it off.  
Tem looked at Blue with echoing, turbulent emotions in his eyes. “You were not lying.”  
Blue nodded. “I speak the truth, Tem’Bhetek. The Minister of Preparation has been using you for his own purposes.”  
Tem looked away. “What terror...had he not stopped me, I could have saved you.” He looked lovingly at Yalar.  
“We needed no saving,” Yalar replied promptly. “The Sangheili were merciful to those who chose not to fight against them, thanks to the urging of the Ascendant. And Blue protects us always.” She withdrew from her robes her energetic shielding device, which she wore on a cord around her neck. “All who wear this symbol are under her protection. All San’Shyuum on High Charity carry these. They will shield us from harm if someone tries to attack us.” She looked at Blue. “I do believe there have been some instances where one had to be used. Despite everything, our lives have been far from perfect.”  
Blue nodded. “Despite their stubborn nature and anger, the Sangheili know the value of the San’Shyuum’s knowledge and ability. And they are not so stupid as to attempt to ursurp me, after their first attempt wholly failed.”  
“She cares for us,” Yalar insisted. “She cares for us like we are her own kin.”  
Tem dipped his head and squeezed his bicolored eyes shut angrily. “I have been lied to. Used.”  
“The Minister planned to attack High Charity after Sanghelios,” Blue told them. “He knew your wife and child were still alive. He knew they very well could have remained on the station, along with the other San’Shyuum. And yet he still would have killed them all, for the sake of his own revenge. You know he would have.”  
Tem stared at her incredulously, horror in his multicolored eyes. “No, he would not…”  
“You knew that his next target was High Charity,” the draconic said evenly. “You just didn’t know the whole story.”  
The room was silent, tension flowing like a raging stream.  
“What treachery…” Tem finally growled. “A tool, I am, willingly used to orchestrate my own family’s fate!” Overcome with emotion, he broke away from Yalar, wrapping his fingers around his head. “Please...please forgive me for what I have done, my love…”  
Yalar stepped right back up to him and put her arms around his shoulders. “You have not yet done the worst, Tem. I have nothing to forgive you for, unless you refuse to assist the Ascendant in protecting the station from treacherous Preparation. Your acceptance of the truth is all I hoped for.”  
“We may set course now,” ‘Vadum had turned away and was giving orders to his crew. “We have the coordinates; get us to them as quickly as possible. I will be up to the command deck shortly.”  
“I must go,” Yalar said gently to Tem. “It is not safe for me here, and I have work to attend to. Aethon will return me to High Charity...I hope I will see you there, after this is all over. Please, dear, trust these people. They are not the real enemy.”  
Tem nodded wordlessly, eyes following his wife as she moved away from him and out of the cell. She smiled at him one more time before the walls came between them and they could no longer see each other.  
Blue gestured for Tem to exit the cell. “If you please; now that you know the truth, and I can tell you have accepted it, you are no longer our prisoner. We will need your help if this is to succeed.”  
“I…” the Prelate seemed at a loss for words. “I have so many questions…”  
“I hope for all of them to become answered, in good time,” the draconic said. “And I understand that trust is hard-won. But for now, we must move to set this plan to action; we have no time to waste.” She moved to make for the brig’s heavy door, which opened for her. Tem followed her quietly.  
“So you are High Charity’s new leader,” he said after a few minutes of silent walking.  
“You could say such,” the Ascendant replied. “High Charity is led by the Council of the Ascendant, of which I am a part. While I hold much power, I am not supreme. Nor would I wish to be.”  
“What have you been doing with the station?” the Prelate asked. He seemed genuinely curious; sensible, seeing that he would likely seek asylum aboard the station, now that he knew his family was alive.  
“We have been working very hard to clean up and repair the damages of the Schism,” the draconic began. “Many swaths of the city had to be leveled, their structures unrepairable.”  
“Could the Huragok not fix them?” the Prelate sounded surprised.  
“The Huragok all mysteriously vanished during the Schism,” Blue told him. “It is unknown why, but High Charity has become bereft. Many must have been killed in the fighting, especially in the close quarters of the ships. The rest, I know not of their fates. We have searched the station over and over, to no avail.” Her eyes were distant. “But I have a theory...all of the destruction that occurred during the Schism, they could sense it. And I think it was too much for them. I believe that they terminated themselves.”  
“Terminated themselves?” the Prelate said incredulously. “No record of anything of the sort exists!”  
“Never before have these Huragok experienced the entirety of their society folding in on each other,” the draconic reasoned. “They serve technology, not masters. And, suddenly, their technology, their ships, are fighting each other. Fighting themselves. Sangheili and Jiralhanae, wrestling over the same vessels. And these poor creatures are caught in the crossfire, with damages happening faster than they can fix. They worked themselves to death.”  
“Seems a bit far-fetched to me,” Tem admitted, “The Jiralhanae used the Huragok as suicide bombers, and put harnesses on many of them. But they cannot have gotten them all.”  
Blue shrugged. “Even I do not fully understand the Huragok. All I can hope for is to find more of them. Without their skill, High Charity is lacking a crucial piece of her structure.”  
“Not much progress has been made, then?” Tem sounded disappointed.  
Blue shook her head. “Yes, but hope persists; when there is a will, there is a way. While some of the finer details of maintenance will require years of education, much of the work is simply brute labor.” She held her hands up. “No pun intended, since I do have seven Jiralhanae currently working to construct livestock housing facilities. I know how to set up these sorts of systems, as do the San’Shyuum. And, surprising to some but not to me, the Unggoy are proving to be very adept at construction. Many of the laborers from our agricultural support ships came together to help design the plans for High Charity’s own farms, both traditional agriculture and methods like hydroponics.”  
“You mean to make the station self-sufficient?” Tem questioned.  
Blue nodded. “Not just self-sufficient, but able to provide for a fleet too, if necessary. And our progress has been astonishing, with no more major wars to hold our attention.”  
“It sounds impressive,” the Prelate grudgingly agreed. “What has Yalar been doing? You mentioned she was your Minister of Dispute.”  
“The Ministry of Dispute handles civil issues between individuals and between species,” Blue explained. “An echo of the Ministry of Concert, though with Yalar at the front, much more responsible. She is currently involved in a large project with the Ministry of Development to expand Kig-Yar living spaces to provide areas more suitable for nesting.”  
“She has empathy for all life,” Tem said quietly. “It has always impressed me. No species to her was “lesser”. They all deserved her equal attention.”  
“That is why I made her Minister,” the Ascendant explained. “I need people like that working with me, those who know empathy. Those who lack empathy are the ones who seek to better themselves through the destruction of others.”  
They had reached the door to the command deck. It opened, allowing them in.  
‘Vadum was up on the raised platform, his flight crew scattered around him at their stations as they prepared to enter slipspace.  
“Ascendant, Prelate,” he greeted them from above. “Have you discussed our plans?”  
“No, we were discussing the state of High Charity,” Blue replied truthfully. “The Prelate was curious of its current state.”  
“Well enough; we will have a few days to sort things out,” ‘Vadum replied. “Once we have jumped, I will be able to join you, if you would like to see yourselves to a conference room.”  
“We shall,” the draconic obeyed with a bow of her head. “Let us go, Prelate. In the meantime, would you like to hear about my idea for a concert hall?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	27. 2.24: Confronting the Minister

2.24: Confronting the Minister

“I will be right here, even though you won’t see me,” Blue promised Tem as they stood on the command platform. “I will make sure you do not become outmatched if things go badly.”  
The Prelate was piloting the Shadow of Intent towards the Forerunner facility, orbiting a rogue planet nearby a nebula of gorgeous clouds, sunny yellow, pale pink, and sapphire blue. Aethon, under supercloak, flew ahead of the ship, scouting out the facility.  
“I understand what I am to do,” Tem reassured her and himself. He was skilled; cunning and intelligent. He could trick the dastardly Minister just like he had tricked him. His eyes narrowed a bit. “I am putting a lot of trust in you, Ascendant. Only because my wife asked me to.”  
“You will not regret helping us,” Blue replied evenly. “We will reveal the liar to you, and disable his dastardly weapon so it can never threaten the lives of your family.” Her eyes flashed. “Remember why you are doing this.”  
The majority of the carrier’s crew had remained back on Duraan, representing a reasonable portion of the population that would have been slain had the ship been successfully taken over. The rest were hiding out in the brig, pretending to be prisoners. But the shield barriers were disabled and the “prisoners” were fully armed. Amongst them were ‘Vadum, ‘Soran, the Scion ‘Juran, and the oversized Unggoy, who was named Stolt. They had kept their best for this.  
Blue donned her supercloak, vanishing. The Prelate would hail the facility, pretending to have successfully captured the ship. If the Minister scanned the vessel, he would sense the lone Prelate and the rest of the crew in the brig. The Prelate’s Jiralhanae had been replaced with a handful of fake heat signatures Blue had planted in the brig’s main room. Aethon had crafted the small devices, which glowed warmly with the heat they gave off.  
“This is Prelate Tem’Bhetek aboard the Shadow of Intent,” the Prelate was either hailing the facility or responding to a hail. “We have successfully captured the vessel.”  
Blue couldn’t hear the reply without hacking into the comms, which she felt was unnecessary. Watching Tem’s expression was enough to know if things were about to go badly.  
“Yes, we suffered heavy losses,” he seemed to be under questioning about how few “Jiralhanae” were aboard his ship. “They fought hard.”  
He was silent for a while, then “Yessir. I will bring her in.”  
He nodded in Blue’s general direction, and she sprinted from the room. The opening and closing of a door for seemingly nothing was the only thing that signaled her existence.  
She ran down to the brig, knowing well enough that the ship might be boarded by enemies by the time she got there. She opened the heavy door, and dropped her cloak.  
The remainder of the crew was in formation on the other side, weapons at the ready. She nodded to them. “They’re coming. The next time this door opens, fire.”  
She joined their ranks, facing the door. It slid shut innocently. ‘Vadum handed her a plasma rifle.  
“You really believe we can trust the Prelate?” he asked.  
Blue tapped her temple. “Now that he knows his wife and child are alive, thoughts of turning against us are few and far between.”  
“We will still have to watch our backs,” the Scion stated. “If he feels as if he has enough friends on both sides, he may betray us and take this ship. And then stab Preparation in the back later.”  
Blue switched her vision to thermal. “Jiralhanae...meeting the Prelate. They’re coming this way.”  
The Jiralhanae were expecting to unlock a brig full of Sangheili in the cells, not freely standing in the room. They were relaxed, bickering amongst themselves while they followed Tem.  
Blue donned her supercloak. The Jiralhanae neared the brig at a painfully slow pace.  
“Ready…” she heard ‘Vadum whisper to his crew. They lifted their weapons and aimed at the door.  
Blue rushed the door just as the Jiralhanae on the other side opened it. Behind her, the Sangheili open fired. She ducked, kicking out her feet and sliding across the ground.  
She was running right at the Prelate, in the front of the Jiralhanae. Her feet hit his ankles and he toppled over, rolling backwards. That had been exactly the plan; she would knock him down, getting him out of the line-of-fire. He pretended to react with surprise, cursing. Blue dropped her supercloak and jumped at him; he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from the Jiralhanae, who were roaring in confusion. They landed behind the group; Blue lifted her plasma rifle and started to fire on them. Sandwiched between two fronts of fire, the Jiralhanae fell quickly.  
“Let us move,” ‘Vadum ordered his crew over the corpses. “Before the Minister figures out what has occurred!”  
“I will lead you to the dock,” Tem promised, gun pointed up at the ceiling. “Be prepared for a reception party.”  
They ran back through the ship, heading for the exit to the facility, Blue and the Prelate out front.  
“Reception, as in the Minister himself?” she asked.  
He nodded. “And his Yanme’e.”  
“Would you like a chance to talk to him, to ask him why he has lied to you?” Blue asked. “We might be able to arrange that.”  
Tem considered the option for a moment, then replied, “What he will tell me will undoubtedly contain more lies, but the truth would be nice to hear. Though I think I already know the answer to his behavior.”  
“We will take care of the Yanme’e, and hopefully you will be able to get a thing or two from the Minister's sputtering while we do so,” Blue told him. “He’s undoubtedly going to be angry, and from what I’ve seen of other crotchety San’Shyuum, anger makes them say too much.” She said those last few words with humor, thinking of some of her own Ministers.  
“We shall see,” was all that Tem said in reply. He’d either missed her joke or hadn’t found it funny. She felt a bit reproached.  
They reached the passage to the docks, and ‘Vadum lifted a cautious hand. The crew lifted their weapons, and Blue donned her supercloak.  
She and Tem rounded the corner, stepping into the hangar which the carrier had docked with. The Minister was there, surrounded by what looked to be two dozen Yanme’e.  
“Prelate,” he greeted him. “Where are the prisoners?”  
“Behind, Minister,” Tem replied promptly. “We had a bit of a holdup with the old swordsman.”  
The Minister snorted, tapping his fingers on the arm of his gravity chair. “You have done well, Prelate. There have been moments where I have questioned your motivation, but you have come through, it seems.”  
“What are we to do next?” Tem asked.  
“Another firing of the installation may result in its destruction,” the Minister admitted. “It has become highly unstable. A shame, really, since I intended to use it twice. But, I will take the destruction of Sanghelios over the destruction of High Charity.”  
Blue sensed Tem tense at the mention of the Minister using the Halo on High Charity. He didn’t let his emotions betray him, though. The Minister didn’t notice his faint change in attitude.  
“Where are your Jiralhanae?” he questioned, peering into the dock. “Tem, if the prisoners have escaped because you came ahead, I will not be pleased.” The Yanme’e surrounding the Minister buzzed nervously.  
“The prisoners have not escaped,” Tem reassured the Minister. “My Jiralhanae are capable.”  
“Then what is taking them so long?” the Minister demanded.  
Tem shrugged. “It is not easy to drag this many Sangheili from their ship.”  
“You seem less interested in their destruction now,” the Minister noted. “I would have expected you to drag that shipmaster in here yourself. What has become of you, Prelate? Perhaps your motivation is still in question…”  
“I have come to the conclusion that my family were not slain by the Sangheili,” Tem told him levelly. “Which means you have lied to me.”  
“Me? Lie to you? And now who told you that nonsense?” the Minister snorted.  
Blue dropped her supercloak, plasma rifle aimed directly at the Minister. “I did.”  
“The cursed creature!” the Minister hissed. His watery eyes turned to Tem. “I see now. She has poisoned your mind, taken control of it with lies. Like a creeping vine, she has corrupted you!” he shoved a finger at the duo. “Wipe them out!”  
Blue fired, but diverted her aim at the last moment, the plasma bolts finding the Yanme’e instead. She lifted her other hand; tendrils of energy sprung from it and pierced through the sides of her weapon. They pulled the heat from it, cooling the internals. She kept the trigger pressed down, her energy drawing the heat from the weapon. The Yanme’e scattered against the unusually fast barrage, allowing her to duck into cover.  
Tem was with her, firing his own rifle. The remaining Yanme’e started to shoot back with their pistols, the Minister furiously retreating behind them. Blue inhaled, pulling air into her compression chambers, and roared, sending a pulse of wind into the insectoids. In their airborne state, they were buffeted into a tumble. Her plasma rifle emitted a puff of smoke and a loud clank; apparently, even diverting the heat out of the internals wasn’t enough to prevent it from getting damaged from overuse. Disgruntled, she tossed it aside.  
The Sangheili rushed into the hangar behind them, roaring. The disoriented Yanme’e couldn’t recover fast enough, and were cut down as the Sangheili swarmed around Blue and Tem, filling the hallway with plasma fire.  
“The Minister has fled for the bunker!” Tem called. “From there, he can activate the installation. We must stop him before he does!”  
“Lead!” ‘Vadum ordered, energy swords aloft. The female, ‘Juran, was standing next to him, wielding a weapon Blue had little familiarity with: a double-bladed energy lance. She spun it deftly, blade emitting a faint, electric hum.  
“Move your sorry behinds!” the blademaster, as usual, was yelling.  
The angry mob stormed down the hallway, shooting down any Yanme’e too slow to avoid them. One of the insect-like aliens charged at them from an air vent, screeching; ‘Juran sliced them in half with her lance. Tem led them through the hallways at a sprint. He kept looking back at the Sangheili behind them.  
“We will never catch up to him in time!” he proclaimed. “You are too slow!”  
“Oh, I can run faster,” Blue yelled back.  
“So can I,” he replied, almost challengingly.  
She nodded. “Let’s go, Prelate.”  
They broke from the group, kicking into overdrive. The Prelate was incredibly fast, near able to achieve the highway-speed pace Blue could sustain. They were much faster than the Sangheili, and faster than any San’Shyuum in a gravity chair.  
“Ahead!” the draconic roared, pointing. The rear of the fleeing chair was visible down the hallway. The Prelate’s shots splattered against energy shields.  
The draconic lept, bands of striated grey material on her forearms expanding, making the limbs longer. She hit the ground on all fours, and her speed almost instantly doubled. The Minister had just reached the door of the bunker with his remaining Yanme’e when her claws closed around the back of his chair and swung it into the wall.  
The Minister was thrown from his seat, shrieking. Blue, remembering how BTS had disarmed Truth’s throne back on the Ark, took the arm of the chair that had all the controls on it and ripped it from its housing.  
Something burned warningly against the back of her head; she’d let the Yanme’e pepper her with near to point-blank plasma fire while she was attacking the chair. The heat of the plasma was draining her shields fast. She swung the chair through the air, crushing one of the insectoids against the wall, and dove into cover.  
Tem swapped places with her, taking down the rest of the Yanme’e as she let her shields recharge. The Sangheili came thundering around the corner just as the last one fell.  
‘Vadum looked around. “Where did the Minister go?”  
“Hmm?” Blue looked up and cursed loudly. “The bastard! He’s crawled into the bunker and locked himself in while we were distracted with his Yanme’e!”  
“He can activate the Halo from inside,” Tem warned them.  
“We need to destroy this place before the ring can fire,” the draconic ordered. “Know a way, Tem?”  
“There is a shaft down the back of the ring’s chamber that leads to the power systems,” he told her. “A sufficient explosion should destabilize the system.”  
“We have grenades,” ‘Juran told them. “Let us use those.”  
“Whoever will set them off will have little time to flee,” ‘Vadum warned.  
“I can detonate them remotely through telekinesis,” Blue offered. “I’ll have to be near the grenades to do so, but I should be able to do it from outside the chamber, which will give me more escape time. And I can run faster than any of you.”  
‘Vadum nodded. “By your word, Ascendant. Give her the grenades!”  
They piled all of their small explosives into a satchel Tem had, and handed it to Blue.  
She nodded, finding the number satisfactory. “Get yourselves as far away as you can. Aethon will be here to assist me if necessary.”  
“Good luck to you, Ascendant,” ‘Vadum said. “Let us move!” The crew turned and ran the other way, leaving Blue behind.  
Tem paused for a moment. “You..you should not have to do this. I am responsible for the lives already lost to this ring. Let me take the grenades, and destroy this place.”  
Blue shook her head. “Your wife is expecting you, Prelate. I will not take you away from her again. And this, I can survive. You cannot.”  
He gave her a sad look before turning to follow the rest of the crew away. “The ring testing chamber is through those doors and up the gravity lift.”  
The Ascendant hefted the satchel. Following Tem’s directions, she made her way to the chamber as she felt energy gathering throughout the installation.  
The Minister was going to fire the ring. A last-ditch effort, either that or starve inside his bunker as the Sangheili camped outside. It risked his own death, but also their own.  
The chamber was sealed by heavy shield doors; the draconic put her hand to their surface and felt their inner workings. Her mind wrapped around the circuits and wires, releasing the lock on the door. They slid open, revealing the stark white room, surrounding the ring itself.  
It was easily thirty feet tall, black in color, shiny, with circuits embedded in it. She could feel the energy it was drawing, making the installation shudder. She could see the opening of the shaft beyond the ring, a dark circle. She paused to observe the structure, giving the Sangheili ample time to flee the facility.  
The satchel floated from her hand, held by her telekinetic energy. It floated past the ring, and dropped itself down the shaft.  
The satchel touched ground at the far edge of her accurate range; she’d established before that she could activate a single grenade thirty feet from her (and, with concentration, activate many grenades within such a radius). She was farther away than that, but all the grenades were in the same place.  
“I’m activating the grenades,” she said over her link to the others. “See you in a few.”  
Her mind tagged onto the satchel of grenades and they lit up like Christmas lights. She turned and ran like hell away from the chamber. She dove down the gravity lift, hitting the ground on all fours. She ran through the door and blasted into the air, thrusters pushing her down the hallway at breakneck speed.  
The entire facility was rocked by explosions, shaking the halls. She was flying as fast as she could with the space that she had, wings only slightly open so she didn’t hit the walls of the hall. She was heading for the hangar, and to open space.  
Shockwaves ripped through the hallway, shredding the walls and ceiling. The draconic was struck and tumbled, bouncing off the floor; she just managed to get back into the air before the floor was shredded as well.  
Fire flooded through the halls in the wake of the shockwave; it was hot, but she was unaffected, for the moment. The problem was, now she couldn’t see.  
She flew right into a wall, leaving a dent. _Aethon! Where the hell am I?_  
 _Go left!_ He replied. _I can still see the halls that have not yet disintegrated!_  
She pushed off the wall and flew left, the initial fireball thankfully dying down, but leaving the halls choked with smoke. Another explosion shook the facility, and Blue spotted a black square of space through the flames.  
Her thrusters pulsed, and she shot for the exit. The hangar had lost pressurization, and she was sucked into the vacuum of space along with a bunch of debris. The heat that had been boiling against her shields was replaced by bone-chilling cold.  
Aethon was hovering in the distance, as close as he could get without risking damage from the facility’s detonation. At that moment, she sensed a catastrophic release of energy behind her.  
The facility ripped itself apart, fire and shreds flying everywhere as the power systems exploded. The shockwave hit her in the back, flipping her over and shooting her further into space. Her shields drained and broke; she was flying away from the station, viewing it upside-down.  
A massive shard of superheated metal flew towards her face; she shrieked into the vacuum and brought her forearms together in front of her face, guarding herself. The energetic rings around her wrists activated by proximity, and the shard slammed into them. They emitted a shocking pulse, throwing both the shard and Blue backwards, electricity sparking over the surface of her armor. She felt her vision go all wavy; it had been so long since she’d used her restraints to defend herself that she’d forgotten how much they could affect her.  
 _Blue!_ Aethon was flying towards her. _Hold on!_  
She felt his tractor beam grab hold of her, dragging her along behind him. He pulled her up to his underside so she could grab the end of the ladder he’d extended. She weakly grabbed hold and pulled herself up into the opening, sheltered by the ship’s hull.  
 _Not breathing?_ Aethon asked, concerned. _Those were some shockwaves you got hit by.  
We’re in space, _Blue replied sarcastically, watching her vision stutter around the edges. _Of course I’m not breathing._  
They flew back towards the Shadow of Intent, far away from the wreckage.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	28. 2.25: Return of the Prelate

2.25: Return of the Prelate

The white ship flew into the assault carrier’s nearest hangar, setting down gently. His engines whirred down, blue light within the exhaust manifolds dimming.  
Blue dropped from his underside, stumbling a bit on the landing. She felt taxed, from the hard flight and surviving the facility’s destruction. It had taken a chunk out of her energy.  
“Ascendant!” ‘Vadum was here to greet her, with the Blademaster and the Scion. “Welcome back aboard. I am glad to see you have returned in one piece.”  
And he sounded genuine. The draconic smiled, tired but relieved. “It was a close call, Shipmaster. But the ring has been destroyed, and the Minister with it.”  
‘Vadum pointed at her arm. “You seem to have suffered an injury.”  
She looked down; indeed, there was a foot-long shard of still-hot metal sticking through her left bicep. She hadn’t noticed it in the rush of the moment, but now that ‘Vadum had pointed it out, it hurt like hell.  
“Ah,” she rumbled, grimacing. “Well...I somehow missed when that happened.” She locked her jaws shut to muffle her pained grumbling, grabbed one end of the shard, and pulled it from her arm. It exited with a metallic scraping sound that drowned out the bit of her yelp that got through gritted teeth. Blue fluid welled up from the wound, acting almost like a liquid, but instead of flowing, it lifted from her arm in a vapor and dispersed, vanishing into the air. The edges of the wound rippled, silver armor closing to cut off the flow.  
She, a bit messily, tossed the shard to Aethon, who caught it in his tractor beam and pulled it into his cargo bay. “See if you can find out anything cool about what the Forerunners build with,” she told him. “Might as well take the opportunity to make something out of it, seeing how it’s strong enough to punch through my arm.”  
“Will you be departing us now, Ascendant?” ‘Vadum asked politely.  
She nodded, blinking as spots danced across her vision. “Soon. I must get back to High Charity. But first, I believe the Prelate will be coming with me, so I must speak with him.”  
‘Vadum’s eye was evaluating her carefully. “It may not be my place, but I would suggest you take a short break, and maybe having something to eat, before returning.”  
The Ascendant snorted. “Am I that unsteady right now?” she asked.  
His eye twinkled a bit. “Oh, no more than a newborn colo trying to find its first legs.”  
Blue made a bit of a face. “Oh, just show me to the Prelate.”  
“By your word, then.” ‘Vadum turned away. “Try not to keel over, Ascendant.”  
“Bugger,” Blue snorted. ‘Vadum may have chuckled, or it could have been a cough; she would never know.  
“I will have a meal ready when you return, Blue,” Aethon called after them.  
“Thank you, good ship,” ‘Vadum called back.  
“Oh, for goodness sakes,” Blue grumbled, squished her neck into her shoulders a bit.  
They exited the hangar, the draconic following the Shipmaster and the rest of the group following Blue. The Blademaster fell into step with her, and she sensed a full-volume question headed her way.  
“Do you believe there are more Prelates out there, working against us as this one did?” he asked, blasting her with his voice.  
“Perhaps,” she admitted. “Many were killed during the Schism, when their ambushes failed and the Sangheili turned on them en mass. I am sure some escaped, though. Many Jiralhanae-controlled ships made their escape, and not all followed Truth.”  
“You would not happen to have their wives and young children at hand as well?” he chuckled. “It worked for this Prelate, maybe it would work for the others too.”  
Blue smiled humorously. “Unfortunately, no. This Prelate’s wife is one of the few female San’Shyuum left, and the only one with a child.”  
“That is unfortunate,” the Blademaster agreed. “It is so much safer to talk someone to your side then fight them. Though I will never shy away from a fight; these Prelates are one of the few enemies I have encountered that actually pose a challenge!”  
Blue rolled her eyes, sensing the exaggeration. The aging Blademaster may have had a good chance in his heyday, but at his current state, a Prelate would have the upper hand in a one-on-one fight. But nobody was going to tell him that.  
“I would like to spar you, possibly,” he continued. “I have never fought an Ascendant. And I doubt you have ever fought a Blademaster!”  
“Do not be ridiculous,” ‘Vadum called over his shoulder. “A Prelate, maybe you could beat, but the Ascendant?”  
“I will honor his request,” Blue chuckled in good nature. “Though perhaps not today.”  
“I must make a visit to High Charity in the future, then!” ‘Soran declared. “Be ready for me, Ascendant.”  
Blue rolled her eyes again, in full view of ‘Vadum, who was watching them over his shoulder. He snorted and rolled his eyes as well.  
“I would like to visit the station as well, some day,” the Scion spoke up. She looked up a bit, as if picturing the grand halls of High Charity in front of her. “It has been through so much, and I imagine everything it has survived has only made it stronger.”  
“You would be more than welcome,” the draconic offered. “My assistant, Isa ‘Ayanam, would love to meet you.”  
They walked through a door into a small sitting room, where the Prelate was seated, brooding, in a corner. He stood up suddenly as they approached, not wanting to seem disrespectful to their presence.  
“Ascendant! You have returned,” he seemed relieved, but cautiously so.  
Blue nodded. “I made it out, as I said I would. No one else would have survived that encounter, unless they could fly as fast as I.”  
Tem bowed his head. “I should be thankful, then. You were willing to take my place. Even though the risk to your person was less, I am still grateful.”  
“I will not break a promise to your wife,” the draconic said, shaking a finger at him. “I need my Minister of Dispute to like me!”  
“We will be making off soon, to continue our journeys,” ‘Vadum told them. “I wish you both well, until the next time we meet.”  
“As do I,” Blue replied. “Thank you, Shipmaster.”  
‘Soran saluted to her. “Until next time, Ascendant, when you shall meet the fury of my blades! I look forward to it!”  
The Ascendant smiled humorously. “I wait with anticipation, Blademaster. Fare well in your journeys.”  
‘Juran was the last to catch her eye. “I have only known you a short while, Ascendant, but I can see you walk the warrior’s path with honor and fearlessness. I hope we shall meet again, in better times, so we may learn from each other,” she spoke truthfully.  
Blue inclined her head deeply. “I will say again, I would be honored, Scion, if you would visit High Charity in the future. We have much to learn from you, I do believe.” She looked back to ‘Vadum. “As well, please send my regards to Stolt, and my wishes for his speedy recovery.”  
She then extended her hand to Tem. “Come with me, if you will, Prelate, so we may let these good people depart.”  
He looked at her, hope in his two-colored eyes. “You will let me join High Charity? Even after all I have done?”  
The Ascendant nodded. “You acted under a false truth, Prelate. And I can see you are of a better mind now. I will have a few terms to discuss, but they will be trivial at most.”  
Tem nodded. “Let us go, then.” He moved to follow Blue, then paused and faced the three Sangheili in the room. “I am sorry for what I have done. But, I will not ask for forgiveness that I do not deserve. I only ask that you consider my plight again, if you ever find more of my kin amongst the stars.”  
With that, he nodded respectfully to the trio, and followed Blue from the room, coming to her side as she stood in the threshold, watching the departure.  
“Aethon, be ready to leave,” the draconic called to her ship. “We must make haste to High Charity; perhaps we may still catch the Arbiter before he leaves, for I have things to discuss.”  
She and Tem made for the hangar in good time, both eager to return to the station. The Prelate was very quiet; he seemed nervous.  
“What ails you?” Blue asked, direct. “If you are willing to share, I may be able to ease whatever qualms you have.”  
It was almost strange, having to look up at this taller creature and ask him if he was alright. But really, she was used to it by now. She had a lot of tall friends.  
“High Charity is to be my home again,” he said quietly. “But it is not the home I once knew. I fought against the people who now rule the place.” He shook his head. “Yes, I was mislead on my family’s death. But I willinging participated by the Prophet’s side in the slaughter. What will they think, when I return?”  
“This is why there shall be terms, as I said,” Blue told him evenly. “But do not think you are alone. High Charity is home to over four hundred San’Shyuum, duly tolerated. As well, the station is home to seven Jiralhanae, all defects from the Prophet’s ships above the Ark. They are not prisoners; they have earned themselves near to free reign of the station by now and are invaluable workers in the Ministry of Development. They are treated like any other laborer, which is, under my rule, fairly treated.” She chuckled, pausing her words. “We also have a few Sangheili in residence, members of the Nes’alun keep, who were supporters of the Servants of Abiding Truth. They are all women and children, who I rescued from certain death.” She inclined her head. “What I mean to conclude is such: you will not be the first forgiven foe to enter High Charity’s halls.”  
“But I doubt any have committed crimes worse than I, unless you have a Brute Chieftain in your midst,” he replied.  
Blue nodded. “I understand your worries. But do not let them bring you doubts. You will not be mistreated. I must, by order of the Ministry of Defence, restrict your range of the station for security reasons, until you are proven trustworthy to them. You may be assigned an in-person monitor, if the Ministry so believes it necessary. But they will not be intrusive, and if they become so, you are allowed to complain of it. The Ministry may call for you to have a tracking device implanted as well, but I have a lot of sway in that decision. In my mind, those restrictions are only for those whose intentions I can see may change, such as the Nes’alun; yours will not.”  
Tem eyed her suspiciously. “You said these people are not prisoners, but to me, it sounds like they are.”  
Blue shook her head. “I would not call them that. The only ones with the trackers are only the Nes’alun, the enemies of the Arbiter. I saved them from being slaughtered by their neighbors, and have provided a better home for their children. They have access to much of the station, but must be restricted since they still consider us as potential enemies.”  
Tem nodded. “I see. But what of the citizens? Surely many of them will dislike my presence.”  
“You will receive the same emergency shielding device as your wife,” Blue told him. “Seeing that you are a Prelate, you may not really need it, but it doesn’t hurt. And either way, if the station can tolerate seven Jiralhanae, they can tolerate you.”  
They had reached the hangar, where Aethon was patiently waiting, cargo hatch lowered. Blue gestured up the ramp.  
“Welcome aboard, Prelate. We shall have you reunited with your family shortly.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	29. 2.26: Reach

2.26: Reach

Blue flew through the airlock barrier, re-entering the battlecruiser. She skipped to a halt, dusting asteroid bits from her armor.  
“I am absolutely amazed by what this Huragok can do,” she declared, talking over her connection to ‘Tusam. “The assault carrier is almost ready for your command, Fleetmaster.”  
 _She is beautiful._ ‘Tusam himself was upside, observing the assault carrier’s final moments before reactivation. The holes and scars in her hull had been patched, sensors fixed, systems rebooted. Now, all they had to do was start up her engines, and she would finally leave the docks behind.  
Aethon buzzed by the cruiser, returning to the station. _I’ve got the daily report from Trevelyan, when you’re ready. The lab fire you started destroyed some of their irukan samples. The Arbiter will be pleased to hear about this._  
The two of them had been monitoring Trevelyan, an ONI research base, very closely. Aethon’s sensitive scanners had discovered stocks of modified Sanghelios staple foods in their labs, confirming their worst fears. ONI was trying to develop a bioweapon against the Sangheili. Genetically-modified stocks of irukan, a Sangheili staple crop grown on Sanghelios and vital to the species’ diets, especially in rural areas. Genetically-modified herds of colo, Sanghelios’ main livestock species. Both now rendered indigestible to the Sangheili, thanks to aggressively-dominant genes that would rapidly overtake a wild population. And now the bioweapon was getting dangerously close to fruiting.   
The small lab fire had purposefully targeted the vital irukan samples the scientists were trying to modify to make indigestible. Last week, there was a computer virus. Two weeks ago, she caused a colo stampede. Her next move wouldn’t be for at least a week, to keep things random.  
She’d also planted the idea in the Arbiter’s mind to start talking to the UNSC about establishing joint research stations on Forerunner sites. And Trevelyan had been at the top of his list for sites to consider.  
If the site was converted to house both species, the bioweapons experiments would either have to move, stop, or hide themselves. So of course Parangosky was going to fight it to the bitter end, but seeing she was also bogged down with some allegations of negligence of duty, she might have a hard time with that.  
Port Stanley was also grounded, missing ablative coating on her right flank from a small meteor that had come speeding at them from out of nowhere. It wouldn’t keep her down for long, but it bought Blue time to keep Kilo-Five from causing more trouble. The black ops team was still supplying weapons to Arbiter antagonists, and it was keeping a lot of the ravaging bands afloat.  
 _If only we had two, then they could make more,_ ‘Tusam was musing about the Huragok.  
“I feel the same way,” Blue agreed. “But, the Arbiter can spare no more, so we must find one on our own. Or perhaps barter one from the humans; I have heard they have a few.”  
She would have preferred to steal Requires Adjustment and Leaks Repaired from Port Stanley. But, the Huragok were living beings with emotions and preferences, not objects. She doubted they would enjoy being stolen, and might even refuse to work on High Charity. Though she really doubted a Huragok could resist the temptation of something to be fixed. But still, she would not stoop to stealing living creatures from their chosen posts to stop Parangosky.  
 _Blue, do not forget you need to leave for Reach tomorrow,_ Aethon called to her. _Final preparations are underway.  
Thanks for reminding me, Aethon. I should be able to get everything done in time. Keep on top of me about the prototype testing though, ok?  
I will do so!_  
She was on this particular battlecruiser because it was the lone home of a very special prototype, a compact hydroponics system very common amongst the Planetary Alliance ships Blue was used to, now so far gone from her. However, it was not the prototype Aethon would remind her about. Nor would it be the prototype plasma rifles she’d check on later. Nor the newly-constructed colo pens and their prototype feeders. She had about six different projects that all required her to check in on them daily. Thank goodness the days on High Charity were so long.  
Her list of tasks seemed neverending, but she couldn’t complain. As long as the moral and motivation remained high, she would work just as fast as everyone else. And having Isa as an assist helped her keep track of everything amidst the chaos.  
She was down in the pump system, talking with one of the Unggoy that kept track of the prototype’s progress, when a muffled cheer went up around the ship. She eased herself back onto the walkway above the piping, and the cheering became louder.  
“She has launched!”  
“Lookit her go!”  
“Aaaaah so pretty!”  
“Me like her very much!”  
 _Fleetmaster, how does she look?  
As flawless as the rays of light from Urs, _‘Tusam replied. His voice was awed.  
 _She is yours, Fleetmaster. The best flagship our fleet can offer.  
My crew is ready to transfer. Shall we proceed?  
Please do. And be sure to let Shipmaster ‘Ne’ahs know when Atonement is ready for his crew to transfer to as well._  
With the best ship they could possibly have now online, some of the shipmasters would be shuffled around. Fleetmaster ‘Tusam would take the assault carrier as his flagship, and Shipmaster ‘Ne’ahs would receive his former DDS-class carrier to use as the flagship of High Charity’s planned defensive fleet. Once the Assembly Forges had turned out their first new batch of starships, the Fleet of Dawn would officially split in two.  
They had enough people to fly the ships, though not with full crews. She had half a mind to spend time bouncing between Sangheili colonies, trying to pick up recruits. But that would put High Charity at risk for attack.  
 _So much to do, and so little time..._ she wished she could delay her leave for Reach by a few days, but she’d be traveling by slipspace, so she couldn’t do such a thing. Her work could take a pause, but she hated leaving the station alone. She would never forgive herself if something happened while she was gone. Space was not safe for anyone. The best she could do was put High Charity somewhere secluded, and keep communications with those aboard. She trusted her Masters and her Ministers to protect this place, with or without her.  
 _You don’t have to go, you know,_ Aethon gently reminded her.  
She shook her head. _No. I want to go. I have not visited any of the planets the Covenant glassed. I have to see the damage I’ve inherited. I need to see what these people have done. The damage...I can’t truly understand it without seeing it in person, I have concluded. And if I cannot understand it, I won’t ever be able to heal the wounds it has caused. And this human pioneer team will provide me with an easy way to get to the surface.  
You know it will be difficult to accept. I do not think you have acknowledged that like you should.  
I know, I know. But I have to see it for myself. I have to feel those emotions it will invoke. Without them...how can I see from both sides? Understand why people like Parangoski will fight tooth and nail to tear down thoughts of peace…  
Understanding does not equal validation or morality. I get that. It is about empathy.  
Yes, dear Aethon. Thank you._  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The humans would call this month November.  
The surface of this planet seemed like some quaint dream, an echo of a past nightmare. Some areas were still too hot for normal creatures to walk on, half-molten soups of what was once rock, soil, and structure. What was cooled was blackened and shiny, like obsidian. It was layered many feet thick over the surface, enough to ensure that no seed could take hold and find soil, or no rain would seep through to moisten the stone below. Though rain would not come for many years - the planet was gripped by a volcanic winter, the atmosphere choked with smoke and debris. The only precipitation was in the form of violent, dangerous storms that were formed by all the heat the glassing had pumped into the atmosphere.  
Despite the sunlight’s inability to reach the surface, the planet was still hot, hot enough to cause the humans to sweat. The heat was trapped beneath the dust in the atmosphere, unable to escape until the debris settled, which would take years. The heat powered the storms, the atmosphere also full of water vapor from the boiling of its oceans. The violent rains pounded the glass, forming pools and ponds all over the surface since the water would remain unabsorbed.  
The draconic was on the edge of what had once been one of these oceans, now an empty seabed covered in lifeless glass. It was like the nuclear wastelands from an apocalypse movie, but even more dreadful.  
She had told herself she needed to come to terms with the damages she had inherited, the destruction by a people who she now defended. She needed to see, in person, the terror that could occur. Only then would she be able to understand it.  
She knelt so she could touch the surface, feeling how it was strangely warm. Far below her was the end to the glass, where there was once again stone, and sometimes soil, though very little of the latter. If the planet was to recover, all of the glass had to be removed. The rock must be turned to soil, the dust cleared from the atmosphere. The air must be returned to a favorable temperature, the water returned to the seas. Plant specimens would need to be introduced, to restart the ecosystem. It was possible that some native flora and fauna had survived, on planet or off. But most likely off.  
 _And it’s not just here. Hundreds, hundreds of planets. Destroyed._  
It was soulless destruction.  
How could someone hate another so deeply as to be willing to destroy their entire planet along with them?  
She had come here with a small pioneer group, whose task was to survey the planet and determine what kind of work it required, and how long such a feat would take. They were behind her, far behind, setting up their equipment and vehicles. She had wandered away, being of no help to them.  
She felt some distant sense of guilt, knowing she had arrived too late to this universe to save these worlds, but all the same wishing she could.  
 _There is no reconciliation for this._ Such damages could never be repaid, even in a lifetime of work. Not until every planet was cleaned, in thousands of years.  
She drew a small circle on the surface of the glass. The line turned into a crack, flowing downwards until it reached stone. The small cylinder withdrew itself from the surface, coming to rest in her hands. She peered into the hole, seeing the stone many feet below her. It was more than an arm’s length deep here.  
The edges of the hole started to widen, particles floating up from the hole. Blue wound the strings of dust around her hand, weaving the glass dust together.  
 _What seems a wasteland is all material...perhaps that can be used. I must find hope._  
She stood up slowly, backing away from the hole as it widened. She directed the movement, a chasm forming, running down the bank towards the empty seabed. It stopped at the end of what had once been a beach, spreading along the banks.  
She stopped, having cleared an area about the size and shape of a baseball diamond. A quite impressive cloud of glass was hovering over her, making the people stare.  
The dust settled, solidifying into an arch-roofed structure. Some of the glass was converted, rearranged, changing color. The area around the building slowly flattened out, becoming a slope on all sides.  
The Ascendant climbed up the slope, standing atop the glass to observe her build. The humans were walking over, curious.  
“I thought you might like a good, solid structure to wait out storms in,” she told them, voice distant. “The walls are strong.”  
“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be useful,” one of the humans said, a bit flabbergasted. “We’ve got mobile structures that are storm-grade, but it’ll still be nice to have a home base.”  
Blue nodded numbly, and turned to walk away. The humans didn’t say anything else.  
She walked far out along the shoreline, until even her recently-constructed house was barely visible. A strong wind was starting to kick up, whistling over the barren ground. The sky was cloudless, dust and debris filtering out the sun. No storm was coming.  
 _I defended the people who did this. I chose them over my own kind. I still do. People I now call my friends, they did this._  
She fell to her knees on the edge of the bank, clutching her head in her hands. They hadn’t just destroyed what was human; they had destroyed everything. Everything, a process of a million year’s evolution and struggle, unique to only here, destroyed. Without ever seeing it in person, it had been easy enough to ignore, to brush off. But now, there was no avoiding it.  
 _I didn’t know it was this bad. I didn’t know!_ She knew of glassing, but she’d always thought, somehow optimistic, that the Covenant had only targeted areas of importance, since the process used up so much time and energy. But no, they were willing to sit around for days, weeks, months maybe even, and pour everything they had into making sure nothing ever returned to these places.  
 _I...I can’t understand. I can’t! Why would they do this? How could someone ever hold so much hate in their heart...people who I know, who are full of life and power...how could they do this? I-I can’t fix something like this..._  
She’d flown close to stars before. She knew what the heat was like, and how it could burn anything to ash. She could imagine the last moments of every creature before it had been burnt up beneath the beams.  
 _How can I find hope in a place like this?_  
She roared in anguish, unable to contain it any longer. The sound echoed across the cliffs; across the seabed, the glass covering the far bank shattered, falling away to expose the bare stone. She shut her jaws and covered her face with her hands, tears running down her face, filling up the black lines beneath her eyes.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	30. 2.27: Terrible

2.27: Terrible

The only person Blue was willing to talk to on the ride back was ‘Ayanam. He came to see her as soon as they had entered slipspace, and everything was in working order enough for him to leave the command deck.  
He knocked. “Permission to enter, Ascendant?” he asked.  
There was no reply.  
The Shipmaster put his hand to the door controls and opened it anyways. He poked his head cautiously into the room, looking for the draconic. She was curled up in the corner, head tucked against her chest, elbows on her knees, articulated tail wrapped around herself. She didn’t look up when he came in.  
“Ascendant?” he repeated her title.  
“What?” she muttered.  
‘Ayanam briefly looked relieved. “I was just checking on you, Ascendant. Some of my Unggoy were beginning to fear that you had died.”  
She felt a pang of guilt. Sirsir had tried to talk to her, but she had ignored him, too wrought with pain. The energetic Unggoy had taken time off from running rehearsals at the partially-constructed theater to accompany Blue’s escort to Reach. And she had snubbed him.  
“Well, I haven’t,” she replied curtly. “I am sorry if I scared anyone.”  
“I know why you are upset,” ‘Ayanam started, talking carefully. “If it would give you any comfort, you are not alone in your anguish.”  
The draconic looked up at him, black lines beneath her eyes shiny with tears. “What, you regret what you have done with the Covenant?” her voice betrayed that she didn’t believe her own words.  
“Look into our minds, Ascendant,” ‘Ayanam told her sharply. “We were blinded by faith. Everything we were taught to believe, taught to fight for, was in some way a lie. The Halos. The Forerunners. Humanity. Do you not think we regret all the time and lives that were wasted for a lie?”  
Blue looked down, tightening her arms around her knees. “But whose lives?”  
“All of them,” ‘Ayanam replied evenly. “The humans are noble warriors; we saw this as true for how they fought against us. The Prophets were cowardly liars. We were killing the wrong people, all this time.”  
The draconic didn’t reply, head tucked against her chest, so he continued. “What we did was wrong. There is no other way of putting it. We are sorrowed, Ascendant. Not a day passes where Fleetmaster ‘Tusam does not remiss on his actions. I have heard him vow to never glass a planet again, not by his own hand. The responsibility he holds for those he destroyed under his command weighs heavily upon his shoulders.”  
Blue sniffed, looking up slightly. “I hope you are not telling me these things to reassure me.”  
‘Ayanam tapped his temple. “I know better than to lie to a mindreader, Ascendant. We are all seeking atonement. Why else would the Fleetmaster have named his former ship such?”  
The draconic shook her head. “Aethon was right. I did not really consider the truth when I set out for Reach. I was blinded too, by my own optimism and displacement from the real problem. Seeing the truth...it has torn through me. It seems hopeless.”  
“It is not,” ‘Ayanam pressed. “High Charity is proof it is not.”  
Blue looked up at ‘Ayanam. “But you cannot blame me. Many of your kind continue to hate humanity. Some wish to simply be parted from their business, by distance or war they do not care. How many of you really hope for a true friendship with these people?”  
“More than you think, Ascendant,” ‘Ayanam told her. “We respect he who is a strong warrior. And we follow the Arbiter. We follow you. Both want alliance, and peace.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I pray to the gods that my words are getting through your thick skull.”  
“Peace…” the draconic whispered quietly. She shut her eyes. _That is what I need to become._  
“We have fought for so long, Ascendant,” the Shipmaster continued. “To finally be able to rest is all many of us want.”  
Blue looked away. “But you have a few years’ fight left in you yet?”  
‘Ayanam nodded. “Of course. We know our work is not done.”  
Blue unwrapped her arms and planted them against the ground, pushing herself to her feet. “Peace is all I want. But it cannot be found until a few things are done.”  
‘Ayanam gestured to the door. “I am sure the Unggoy would be overjoyed to see that you are not dead, Ascendant. We will be back aboard High Charity swiftly, so we may get to these few things.”  
Blue smiled weakly. “Oh, if only the tasks ahead were as easy to do as to say.” She shook her head. “And stop being so formal. Just because I’m upset doesn’t mean to have to revert to using my title. We’ve been friends too long now for that.”  
‘Ayanam snorted a bit. “Alright, Blue. Now, please go reassure my Unggoy before they start a riot.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“It passed! It passed! It paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssed!”  
Isa went bouncing right into Blue’s arms, nearly sweeping her off her feet with the hug. “The Council of Masters passed the amendment to allow female Sangheili to enlist in High Charity’s military!”  
“The word of the Scion travelled fast,” Blue chuckled, prying herself from the Sangheili’s grip so she could breathe again. “I did hear that the Arbiter was very open to the idea, after Shipmaster ‘Vadum proposed it to him. Still, I am surprised we got our old masters to agree on the thing!”  
“I am sure it was a very close vote,” Isa stated. “I know you voted for it. ‘Ayanam sounded annoyed when he told me it passed!” She narrowed her eyes, glancing around, closing her mandibles tersely. “I bet he voted against it.”  
“Don’t worry about him,” Blue told her sharply. “He’s just trying to protect you. It will take him a while to realize that you are not at a disadvantage because of your size anymore.”  
“I am not!” Isa agreed enthusiastically. “I would totally enlist just to annoy him. But I am your aide, and you are teaching me better than any grumpy old drillmaster would.” She narrowed her eyes again. “Besides the grumpy young drillmaster you bribed into teaching me.”  
“There will be plenty of others who will enlist,” Blue promised. “More refugees arrived from Malurok three days ago. Mostly women and children, and many of them are of trainable age. And they want their planet back.”  
“Who are they running from?” Isa asked curiously. “I thought the Servants dissolved after ‘Telcam was killed.”  
“They are not the Servants,” Blue told her. “The Servants are too weak to take over a planet. They have but two small cruisers to their name, ships without ventral beams or heavy weaponry. They have either joined forces with another small faction, or this is a new contender we have to deal with.” She grimaced, thinking about it. The waves of enemies never seemed to end.  
“And their Unggoy refuse to listen to them!” Isa said cheerfully. “I have heard that, at home, the Servant remnants refused to attack the Arbiter again because they saw it as a lost cause. But it’s actually because their Unggoy refused to fight, because they are so scared of you.” She pointed gleefully at the draconic.  
Blue chuckled, knowing well enough that the situation probably wasn’t as Isa stated; as scared as the Unggoy were of her, they were equally afraid of anyone who could kill them. “They are biding their time, but it is running out for them. More and more keeps openly align with the Arbiter, and fight for him. And should they ever strike again, we are but a slipspace jump away. And we grow more powerful with every passing day.”  
“Either way, I have a list of nonsense and a few non-nonsense items I gathered in your absence,” Isa announced, taking out a small holographic tablet. “There was a small fire in Lab 12 that the Minister of Technology said was from that prototype plasma rifle. You do not need to do anything, they just wanted you to know about it. Oh, and the shipment of irukan and colo is due to our location in two days. And the Ministry of Piracy said they have a contact who captured a Jiralhanae supply ship with a single Huragok on it. We have no idea if she is lying or not, but she claims to be willing to sell it for a steep price.”  
“I’ll have to talk to them,” Blue decided. “Make sure everything checks out. And for a Huragok, no price is too steep. Make sure we get in touch with that contact.”  
“That is all the non-nonsense,” Isa told her. “Care to hear the nonsense?”  
“As Ascendant of this nation, it is my duty to deal with all issues,” the draconic grumbled. “As much of a pain as some of these things are, I must hear them.”  
“Your funeral,” Isa chuckled. “This round includes more complaints from the Ministers about Yalar’s husband being back.”  
Blue sighed, putting a hand over her face.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“The Chamber of the Shards has not been open since the Schism,” the Minister of Artifacts said to Blue as they ascended the gravity lift. “What interest do you have in it, Ascendant?”  
With the reformation of High Charity’s new government, much of the Prophets’ private quarters had fallen under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Artifacts, since the rooms in question contained numerous Forerunner relics. The Ministry of Development was planning on converting many of the previously-private spaces into quarters for Ministers and Masters, as the new leaders of the state. But, the Chamber had remained untouched. The shards of glassed human planets had become a touchy subject.  
“I am seeking a way to bring a memorial to this station,” she told him. “I would like to convert the Chamber into a place where individuals can come to pay respects and ask for forgiveness. I have been told it will ease many hearts and minds.”  
The Minister nodded, eyes considerate. “You have been making the Sangheili remorseful, have you? I never thought they would repent for their actions.”  
“It is surprising how fast one’s enemy can become a valued friend,” the draconic said. “But it is not just about the humans. It is about all lives, from both sides, and the ones who took no sides at all.”  
“You speak of planets and creatures as if they are sentient as well,” the Minister observed.  
“If you see the world as I can, you would understand,” Blue replied simply, thinking of the empty expanses of Reach.  
The Minister bowed his head. “I pray one day I will be able to, Ascendant.”  
Blue inclined her own head. “I could show you. But I would rather wait for a moment when I could show everyone at once. It will take time and preparation.”  
The Minister’s interest was caught. “Oh? That would be most enlightening, Ascendant.”  
She nodded. “Ever since seeing Reach, my mind has been hard at work. And I have concluded that this station must evolve.” She shut her eyes. “We are strong, but many things continue to divide us. We must seek a new purpose.”  
They reached the top of the lift, depositing them in front of the tall doors leading into the Inner Sanctum. The Chamber was off this central room, a short walk (or float for the Minister) away.  
“Our problem is one of crowds,” Blue began. “If we are to make this room a memorial, we must have a good way for people to get in and out without disturbing other areas of the Sanctum. And I would also like to have the names of every planet etched into the shards, should they be known.”  
“Those are high orders, but I am sure the Ministry of Development will be willing to put this project on their list,” the Minister promised. “And I can see to the shards getting their proper identities.”  
“That would be most helpful,” the Ascendant said thankfully. “We must reinstate guard here, as well, if we are to have many people moving through.” The Minister’s own pair of Honor Guards were with them, stoic and silent.  
“We have plenty to spare,” the Minister told her. “I have heard the decision to let female Sangheili enlist passed by just a few votes, but already there have been gangs of them clamoring outside the enlistment offices.”  
“Malurok wants their planet back,” Blue repeated what she had said to Isa three days ago. “They want to fight for the Arbiter.”  
That name she had heard so long ago had resurfaced: Jul ‘Mdama. Seemingly, he had escaped from the human lab aboard Trevelyan, and was trying to mount an army against the Arbiter. He had succeeded in overtaking the war-torn planet, sending the supporters of the Swords into desperate, final stands. Their keeps had gotten into contact with Blue, who found her and her station fast becoming an extension of the Swords, and had asked for her help. The station had been too far away to make it in time, but when instructed to escape their planet, the keeps had listened. Sort of. They had sent their women and children, leaving the men to be slaughtered or captured, an occurrence that was still happening all too much.  
“I hope they know what they are doing,” the Minister said. “In all our history, women have never been trained. How can we be sure they will take to arms in a manageable manner?”  
The question was so ridiculous Blue snorted out loud. “They are not that different from the men, Minister. If anything, they are more determined.”  
The Minister knew better than to argue female battle skill against an individual who identified as female and could very easily kick his ass. He smiled and nodded. “Well, I guess there is no harm to it.”  
The Ascendant tapped her temple. “Liar. You have thought up many harms. But I will let their actions speak for themselves, in time.”  
The Minister held his hands up. “Ah, sometimes I miss the days when I could hide behind a well-trained political face. But I guess in truthfulness lies greater morality.”  
Blue bowed her head. Guilt had gripped her chest again. The strange pain of her energetic restraints echoed through her limbs, feeling again how they jolted her when she had been forced to use them to deflect shrapnel above the Shadow of Intent. Images of Ambassador Wukong flashed across her face again, his words sharp in her ears. Here she was, preaching for the truth, as she continued to live the lie she had created. Pretending to be someone else to gain their trust. “I...yes, Minister, you are correct. In truthfulness...” she trailed off, unable to say any more.  
“All shall be revealed,” the Minister finished her sentence respectfully.  
She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	31. 2.28: The Infiltration of Trevelyan

2.28: The Infiltration of Trevelyan

“It’s time, Aethon.”  
Blue stepped into the cabin of her starship, watching the stars appear around them as the ship exited High Charity. The station was floating in the middle of nowhere, a very comfortable distance from anything that could be seen as dangerous. The fleet was floating around her, peaceful but alert.  
“Preparing to jump,” Aethon reported. “Everyone aboard the station has been debriefed on what we will have to do when we return, I expect?”  
The draconic nodded firmly. “The Minister of Defense will be ready to enter slipspace as soon as we return, and already has a plan set out for our jumps, should we need to shake off someone tailing us. The shipmasters are all ready as well.”  
“If all goes well, nobody will ever know we came,” Aethon said. “I’m nervous, Blue. If we can’t pull this off, it could be the end for Sanghelios.”  
“If our estimates are right,” Blue agreed grimly. “The bioweapon grain should be ready for use within the week, and the colo not long after. And thanks to our overwhelming presence scaring away the Arbiter’s contenders, Parangosky wants to use it immediately.” She grimaced. “And here I was, thinking we were doing a good thing by chasing those miscreants off. Instead, we fast-forwarded our own potential downfall, and our only defense left is to do something extremely risky.”  
She’d learned a lot on her numerous visits to Trevelyan. The bioweapons project was highly secretive, in a restricted part of the lab where only a few people could go. The colo on the planet had been imported under the guise of some harmless experiment with their diets, and the irukan had been imported secretly. There were Huragok on the station, using slipspace bubbles to speed the growth of the grain. The colo, the irukan grain, they had all been bioengineered with genes that made them indigestible. And the genes would spread like wildfire through a wild-type population. It would render the staple crop useless for the whole of Sanghelios, sending the already-unstable planet into a severe food shortage. In the colo, it would force producers to slaughter entire herds, unable to track where the aberrant genes were. Farmers would suffer greatly, and the food shortage would spiral.  
Despite Blue’s meddling, she had only delayed the research by a few months. Anything more disruptive would have been too risky, and the station was incredibly airtight. They had backups of their data, and backups of the backups. Parangosky wasn’t taking chances.  
But there was a light in the darkness; Jul ‘Mdama, who had been captured and held at Trevelyan, had escaped with a great hatred for humanity. He was the main contender against the Arbiter for now, and had great strength, but because he hated the humans, he refused to work with them. So, at least Kilo-Five wasn’t going to be slipping him weapons. Enemies were enemies, but it was preferable when they didn’t work together.  
But still, they needed to act now. The Arbiter’s request to put Sangheili on Trevelyan had been received warmly by the UNSC (not by ONI), but the move wouldn’t be fast enough to shut down the bioweapons project. The only way to stop Parangosky now was to stop the project directly, as risky as that was.  
 _And to think, this action would be unnecessary had I never aided the Arbiter…_ Stop one enemy, and a worse one arises. She had chosen to defend the Arbiter at the cost of reducing the unrest on Sanghelios to a point where the Arbiter’s rule was secured, which was exactly what Parangosky didn’t want.  
This moment had taken a lot of planning. As Aethon entered hyperspace, Blue sent a quick note via telepathy to the Arbiter.  
 _I’m going in.  
Good luck._  
He was her cover and alibi – she was supposed to be travelling to Sanghelios to meet with him about ship construction and the trade of vessels that the Armory Forges were capable of building. After Aethon dropped her off at Trevelyan, he would head to Sanghelios to “drop” her off. The Arbiter’s most trusted guards were to retrieve the fake Blue, which was a Kig-yar carrying a realistic hologram around himself. Aethon himself would be controlling the illusion’s actions and speech, so the thing could actually have a pretty decent conversation with the Arbiter. He was the only one who would know he was talking to the ship and not the actual Blue.  
Then there was the last event to line up. The High Charity Theater’s opening show was upcoming, and the entire compliment of the UNSC Infinity was invited, including Lord Hood. Blue had timed these events just so; by the time the concert came around, the bioweapons project should have been discovered, and meeting up with Lord Hood would be good to help her figure out how much damage she had done.  
The plan was to get incriminating data, and then pose as one of the scientists from the facility. The “scientist” would sell out the entire project. She felt bad for framing someone, but she was remaining anonymous, so if Parangosky wanted to find the “culprit”, she’d have to interrogate every single scientist that worked at the facility (and that was quite a lot). Once the bioweapon was identified, and Trevelyan shut down, Parangosky herself would be the next in line for some questioning.  
She wasn’t going to say much in the message, just a quick warning and plea for help, essentially. Her guise was a desperate researcher, torn between morals, unable to stand seeing the project go to use to wipe out a planet. She was risking her own life to steal and deliver samples to one of the UNSC’s main research labs. She claimed they came from Trevelyan’s research facility, and blamed Parangosky for the project.  
It was a heavy-hitting message, for something relatively short. Hopefully, her recipients would see it quickly.  
“Sent the incriminating message,” she told her ship. “All lies well?”  
“We are on our way,” he promised. Through the curved window across the cabin’s front, Blue could see the streaks of light flashing by them as they flew through hyperspace.  
“I wish BTS was with me,” the draconic murmured. “I could use his help. And…I miss him.”  
“We must do what we have to do,” Aethon simply replied. “BTS wouldn’t want us to sit around and mope about him.”  
“I’m gonna do what I’ve got to do,” Blue repeated quietly. “I hope he would be proud.”  
Aethon exited hyperspace under supercloak, having jumped himself right into the middle of the Dyson shell that was known as Sarcophagus to the UNSC, or ONIRF Trevelyan to ONI. The structure itself was massive, almost ridiculously so; while standing on the surface of one portion of the sphere, the other side was beyond what anyone could see. The interior atmosphere was very like that of Earth, and therefore completely safe for hyperspace exit.  
“I will jump once I’m back into space,” Aethon promised. “I’ll let you know when I’ve gone.”  
Using hyperspace to bypass the surface of the sphere was easy; exiting was not so much. Aethon could jump in-atmosphere, but he would convert whatever was behind him for about two hundred feet into radioactive plasma. The sphere was so massive that doing so wasn’t much of a problem (if they did it very far away from any settlements). However, the move would leave behind potentially damning evidence. Instead, they had extensively searched the perimeter of the sphere until they found a suitable exit.  
Blue flipped open the hatch in the floor of the cabin; the ladder rungs retracted to make a slide. “I will call for you when I need extraction. I will be a few hours, since I’m going to have to disable the slipspace bubbles and get through a lot of security.”  
“Good luck,” Aethon wished her, in a whisper. She nodded and jumped down the slide, rocketing towards the surface of the sphere.  
She donned her own supercloak as she exited Aethon’s, dropping towards the ground and the gathering of buildings that was the research station. It was clustered near one of the sphere’s access points, through a Forerunner facility used to house vehicles and ships.  
Blue knew most of the facility by heart, since she had visited the place quite a lot over the past few weeks. Human security technology was easy to foil with supercloak and a few other tricks. All she had to do to access the buildings was wait for someone to come along and open the door; she would slip right past them and move to her next point. If necessary, she could hack through the doors, though that made things more complicated. That was a last resort; the smart AIs in the facility would be able to sense her intrusion.  
The facility also had a metric butt ton of security cameras, so she had to be careful about keeping her supercloak up. It would be hard, seeing how the cloak drained her energy, so she had to move quickly.  
She flew in through the ship docks, which was the fastest way in for her. The docks were generally open, and led right into a large hangar where cargo was unloaded. She knew which door to wait by, and it wasn’t long before a handful of workers trotted through, allowing her to slip inside.  
Thankfully, the humans did not build facilities like the interior of Covenant ships. There were only doors where rooms met the halls and between wings of the building. It made movement easy, and she only had two doors to go through before she came to another locked one.  
She crouched next to the nondescript door, significant only by the hefty lock upon it, requiring an access card to pass. Unlike the rest of the facility, there were very few people that moved through this place. She would have to sit outside this door for potentially hours before someone walked through, too long to hold her supercloak for. Hacking the door was equally as hairy.  
It was tricky business; these sorts of systems would trip alarms if they detected an attempt to break through. But the alarms could also be disabled, and a skilled hacker would be able to cut off communications with said alarms without setting them off. It would, however, take a long time to do so. It made hacking the door unrealistic for the normal individual; people walked by the door often enough that a hacker would probably be discovered, unless they were camouflaged. Not to mention, there were security cameras watching it.  
But, thankfully, Aethon had come up with an ingenious solution: make a copy of one of the scientists’ access cards. All they needed to do was scan one of the cards thoroughly enough for Aethon to make an accurate copy. It would work to unlock the door.  
The draconic shut her eyes, the circuits and systems expanding around her in her mind’s eye. She could see the connections, watching electricity and energy flow by. She could see how they connected, and what they did. Dropping her hand, she withdrew her copy of one of the scientist’s access cards from her utility belt. This beauty had been a pain to make; she’d followed the one guy around for an hour or so, analyzing his card’s composition. And then she had done it again, with two more people, to make sure she had the details right. Aethon had meticulously crafted the card; it was an exact copy, down to every single atomic particle.  
She waved her hand, cameras along the hall all disabling as she drew electricity away from them.  
The access system recorded everyone who scanned through it, so unfortunately the owner of the original card was going to have a tough time over the next few days. But, he was one of Parangosky’s most avid supporters, and a real asshole to the other scientists. So, she didn’t feel too bad. He could always blame someone else for stealing his card, and make the case even more confusing.  
She scanned her card and crossed her fingers. The door unlocked and opened for her.  
Victory! But, she didn’t go through. The card, the cameras; this was just a ruse, to make the humans think one of the lab scientists had stolen samples. They would waste all their time investigating a crime scene that never happened. She knew where there was more modified grain, right in the open.  
She backtracked out of the facility and headed over a low hill at a trot. All down the other side were fields upon fields of the irukan, some of it deadly, the rest not. However, the deadly grain was fast taking over the normal crop, spreading from its field into the next. The colo pens were down this way as well, still showing damages from the stampede that had killed some of the breeding individuals.  
The fields were generally unguarded; it was all too easy to trot to a far end of the area and cut a few stalks of irukan. It looked normal, it grew normal, it tasted normal, and it smelled normal to the Sangheili. However, when the draconic put her nose to it, she could sense a strange air to it. It wasn’t as much of an odor as a chemical trace, something that told her it was different from the others.  
She swiftly uprooted a few stalks, smoothing out the ground they came from, so as if they were never there in the first place. She carefully wrapped the plants in a breathable foil and secured them to her utility belt.  
 _I’ve got the irukan.  
Splendid! My, well your, meeting with the Arbiter is going swimmingly. Should I expect to return soon?  
I have the bubbles to take care of, so give it a while._  
She could disable the slipspace bubbles used to speed the growth of the grain, but the Huragok could rebuild them just as fast. She really saw no good way of keeping the Huragok away from the fields (without giving herself away, at least). The best she could do was buy them extra time by shutting down the system and damaging the crops.  
The complex devices would be no easy task to disable, not because they were protected, but because the technology was far beyond what she was used to. And she needed to do this safely.  
She set about her task, using her mind to monitor the location and state of the bubble around the fields. She didn’t want to accidentally change the size of the bubble and end up borking up the space-time of the sphere; that would be hard to explain. Thankfully, the devices were currently not active, since the crop was mature. However, leaving them functional would allow another crop to be grown within days, should this one be lost.  
 _As long as no Huragok notice what I’m doing…_ it would be obnoxious to have to deal with the creatures if they ended up discovering the damages too soon. Once they interacted with the devices, there was really no way to trick them into thinking they were still functional. They were far too smart and too sensitive for that.  
It took, like she had predicted, over an hour to disable the bubble, including time spent convincing two Huragok to go away. She didn’t like having to near to mind control the gentle creatures, but it was what she had to do.  
 _No, go away, check on the other fields. CHECK ON THE OTHER FIELDS. This is your conscious speaking!_  
Hopefully, they wouldn’t find anything strange about their sudden urges to check on other areas of the facility. The Huragok weren’t exactly talkative, but she still didn’t want to see them on the witness stand.  
 _There…and there._  
Once the devices were disabled, she trotted over to the colo pens, and calmly unlatched the gate.  
 _Look at all that tasty irukan!_ She yelled very loudly in all their minds. Their heads all shot up, and suddenly they were all very, very hungry. The herd made for the gate like starved goats chasing a delicious treat. Within moments, they were all over the fields, devouring the modified grain. They wouldn’t get all of it before they were re-corralled, but they would do enough damage to delay the harvest of the grain for its intended purpose.  
 _I’m done here,_ she called to Aethon. _You ready?_  
 _Jumping,_ he reported. _Be there soon._  
The Ascendant wandered to the crest of a nearby hill, observing the chaos. The colo were all over the fields, and just now the humans were beginning to notice, pointing and yelling.  
 _Don’t let them take you!_ She yelled at the colo again. They panicked when the humans came near, and ran, trampling more of the grain.  
She had done enough. With a whisk of her wings, she was up in the air, carrying the damning evidence with her. She flew away from the facility, leaving the confusion behind her.  
 _Hello,_ Aethon hailed her, exiting hyperspace after a few minutes. _How’d it go?_  
 _Well,_ Blue replied. _Tell High Charity we’re headed for the UNSC now._  
Aethon opened the small cabin hatch for her, and she crawled in. He flew off to find their exit as she climbed into the cabin, careful not to crush the stalks of irukan. Gratefully, she finally turned her supercloak off.  
“I am grateful we received our shipment of irukan and colo already,” she huffed. “I would have hated to delay that, and discover deadly grain among the number. At least we know none of the crop has yet to leave here.”  
“It is always good to plan for the worst,” Aethon agreed. “Do you think, one day, High Charity will be able to produce enough to sell?”  
“Perhaps,” the draconic mused. “We are not yet self-sufficient, but we are close. The Huragok on Trevelyan used slipspace bubbles to grow this grain; we could have our own do the same. It would make farming a whole lot easier.”  
“It was just a thought,” Aethon offered. “If the humans could do this once, they could do it again. Or someone else could. High Charity could be like a food bank. It’s mobile, guarded, and well-managed.”  
“I hope we never have to become such,” Blue muttered, glaring down at the grain with smoldering eyes. _To hate another so much as to destroy their very planet…_  
Aethon made his way to the exit, and went cleanly through. They passed through a moment of disorientating blackness and into space, where his hyperdrive lit up and sent them away, on a course to the grain’s final destination. In the meantime, Blue took a nap.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
She left a note with the grain, reading simply, “A treacherous bioweapon traitorously developed to starve to death a planet – you must act swiftly”. The note was signed, “Anonymous, for if she knows my name she will have me killed”. The back of the note was stamped with Trevelyan’s insignia.  
The UNSC lab had been looking out for the samples; they’d gotten her first message. It had been hard to figure out what to make of the thing, since it was so strange in nature. But, when one of the leading scientists found the neatly-wrapped grain sitting on the floor outside his lab door, they’d know exactly what to make of it.  
Needless to say, there was a lot of commotion going down in the UNSC lab. Aethon hung around it with Blue, watching people scurry back and forth.  
“They better move quick,” she grumbled. “I only gave them a few days’ worth of delay.”  
“The humans will do well,” Aethon reassured her. “Lord Hood knows what has transpired here. He knows that the situation is dire.”  
“Well, if he believed my message, he does,” she muttered.  
“What’s not to believe?” Aethon reasoned. “In a space and time as disrupted as this, nothing is too far-fetched a story.”  
“We shall see,” the Ascendant replied. “Let’s get back to the station. We’ve got some jumps to do.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	32. 2.29: The Visionary

2.29: The Visionary

High Charity was floating deep in space (as usual), having completed her many jumps. Defense was busy considering their next jump, off to the rendezvous they pinpointed as the location of the High Charity Theater’s official opening show. However, word that humans were invited to the show had gotten around, and it had caused quite a stir.  
The stir had been expected, but the intensity of it had not been; Blue had thought there wouldn’t be too much of a problem, seeing that the station still contained all client species of the Covenant, and the number of arguments, fights, and assassination attempts had been decreasing during the last half of a year. The Kig-Yar and Unggoy still turned up their noses at each other most of the time. The Sangheili glared at the Jiralhanae every moment they got (and those seven individuals withstood the hate like absolute champions). But the San’Shyuum were pretty widely accepted by this point, even Tem. And those who disliked each other had learned a valuable skill; acceptance via ignorance.  
But the humans; word of the humans coming aboard the base had the Sangheili and San’Shyuum all up in arms. Blue’s messages were flooded with complaints from the latter, while the former chose to angrily mutter amongst each other, activity which was always bound to reach her ears. Those of more mature type confronted her directly, filing their worries along with the rest.  
“High Charity is a holy city,” they proclaimed. “The humans were never permitted within these halls before. It would be an insult to our founders to allow them here now.”  
“The humans only came here in war before,” they said. “They have not yet earned their place in peace.”  
The amount of residual species-ism the Sangheili and San’Shyuum held towards humanity was astonishing; yes, they no longer considered the species unclean, but they still hadn’t wiped their minds of their superiority. Yes, the Sangheili respected humanity’s determination and strength in battle, but still thought of themselves as their betters, and clinging to that obnoxious attitude towards all other species. They really couldn’t stomach the idea of sharing space with them as equals.  
She talked to ‘Ayanam about it, of course. While he didn’t share as extreme of an opinion, he knew those who did.  
“It is hard to shake lifetimes of opposition from one’s mind,” he told her. “Many of us lost kin to their bullets. Others are simply aloof. I think you will find they are not a majority, and are just very loud.”  
“I have tolerated supremacism,” Blue told him evenly. “I have jailed those who made attempts on the lives of the Jiralhanae or San’Shyuum, though with sentences mild compared to what the Covenant did in the past. I have allowed the Kig-Yar and Unggoy to continue to quarrel, and have let the Ministry of Dispute settle the business. I hope every day that these rifts will lessen. But I can see it will take years, maybe even lifetimes, for true unity to be achieved.”  
“The Covenant was never as unified as they seemed,” ‘Ayanam agreed grudgingly. “We had but one common ground, our religion that is a falsehood and our war that was a terrible mistake.” His voice seemed bitter. “We were rewarded for our dedication by being sidelined. Forgotten. Sent out to die. But yet we continued to cling to the Prophets, until they had us so we could never survive on our own.” He looked down at her. “I think you should consider yourself lucky that this station is as agreeable as it is. Had you not won the souls of the Unggoy and the respect of us, we would have fallen into chaos.”  
“No you would not have,” Blue challenged him. “You would have followed the Arbiter. If I had died, you would have gone to him.”  
“I would have,” ‘Ayanam admitted. “But you know how the beginning was. We barely held on to many of our ships, so determined as they were to hare off into the unknown, for revenge against the Jiralhanae. But they wanted revenge upon Truth more, and you could provide for them. And after that was over, the High Councilors fell to chaos with nothing left to unite them. But by the grace of the gods, their plan was thwarted, and they weeded out your opponents for you. You are very lucky, Ascendant. I would be thankful for as much and not hope for more you cannot achieve.”  
“Is that a challenge?” the draconic asked quietly.   
‘Ayanam looked startled. “No, Ascendant. Forgive me, I meant no disrespect.”  
She put her finger up, grinning a bit. “There you go, being all formal again!”  
He looked a bit annoyed. “I meant no disrespect, Blue.” It was quite sarcastic.  
The draconic shook her head. “Worry not of it. But I will remind you to never use the word “cannot” in reference to me.”  
‘Ayanam bowed his head. “I should know better. You see a way. I cannot.”  
“That is the key,” Blue said, shaking her head. “Seeing. We all hold our own points of view, Shipmaster. The religion of the Covenant was your common ground before, like you said. I must find a new one to show to you.”  
‘Ayanam looked curious, with a slight tilt to his head. “A way to show us something new, to bring us a new purpose? A new unity?”  
“Beyond that,” the Ascendant replied. “I can see this world much different than the rest, Shipmaster. And if you could see the world as I could, I think you would understand why dissonance upsets me.”  
“I would be humbled if you would show me, so I may understand better,” he said, bowing his head.  
“You are the second request I have gotten for such an act,” Blue told him. “And to the first I stated I would like to show everyone at once, rather than one at a time. And I think it is time for such a thing.” She put a finger to her temple. “Fleetmaster ‘Tusam, I would like the fleet to execute another mass docking procedure when first able. I wish to speak to the station as a whole.”  
‘Ayanam was notified of the order moments later, as ‘Tusam’s voice sounded over the intercoms of every ship’s control room. The order was relayed by his flight crew directly to him, and he stood slowly, meaning to make for the door.  
“Do I have a way about me?” Blue suddenly asked, staring off into the distance.  
‘Ayanam looked over his shoulder. “A way? By what do you mean?”  
“A way,” the Ascendant repeated. “Like, an effect on people. An aura.”  
‘Ayanam was silent for a moment, considering. Then, he spoke, “Yes, Blue. I would say you do.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“I thought everyone would fit, but then I forgot about all the bodyguards.”  
Aethon was apologetic, but nobody seemed too bothered. Blue was standing atop one of the raised, tiered platforms formerly used by the Prophets for broadcasts, amongst a crowd of Sangheili, San’Shyuum, and a mix of Honor Guard and Mgalekgolo bodyguards. On her left was the Councilor of Unity, floating calmly in his gravity chair, flanked by four Honor Guardsmen. Beyond him were the rest of the Ministers, including Yalar, holding Prema in her arms. The Minister of Dispute had forgone her two Honor Guardsmen for a solo bodyguard, her husband, Tem. Even now, with all the hustle around them, they were standing close. Blue found them endearing, though Isa had commented more than once that they made her want to barf sometimes.  
The fiery individual was standing to Blue’s right, along with her brother and the other Masters of the Council of the Ascendant: Fleetmaster ‘Tusam, Shipmaster ‘Mahom, and Shipmaster ‘Ne’ahs. ‘Ayanam’s two Mgalekgolo bodyguards were not alone, so space was very limited.  
The rest of the shipmasters were still on their ships, awaiting orders broadcasted from the station. Around the platform were throngs, endless crowds of those not aboard the ships. The courtyard, even though it was massive, couldn’t hold everyone, so the majority of High Charity were gathered around holotanks, awaiting the broadcast.  
“I suspect I know what this is about,” the Minister of Development chuckled. He and ‘Ayanam exchanged knowing glances; they’d run into each other before, and ‘Ayanam had discovered that the Minister had been the other inquirer Blue had spoken of.  
“This is the best time for this,” Blue said quietly. “We are safe out here, safe enough for this. And the people need to see.”  
The platform was lined with Honor Guardsmen, separating it from the surrounding crowd. Unggoy, Kig-Yar, and Sangheili milled about, waiting. In a separate area, the Yanme’e hive was gathered around a holotank, buzzing about their queen. Even beyond them, the small Lekgolo slithered from the walls, gathering with the San’Shyuum who they worked with.  
“Live!” the Unggoy working the camera exclaimed. Blue nodded to him and he deactivated the cover over the lense.  
“Denizens of High Charity, of all species and ranks, the time is coming for us to open our doors and celebrate,” she began. “In just a few days, the High Charity Theater, as you know, is hosting its opening show. I was hoping for this event to be met with excitement and anticipation, but instead I have received the opposite. I am concerned with this rising worry over the invitation of the humans, and wish to remediate it in some manner. This sort of behavior is not what High Charity stands for. It is not what I stand for.”  
She paused to let her words sink in; the courtyard around her was silent. “I understand your worry and why you are upset. But I am also upset, and I would like for you to understand why as well.”  
She folded her hands behind her back. “We almost lost this station to the Flood. I was willing to lay down my life for it, because I could not stand by and let that terror consume so many good people. We defended it valiantly against the Prophet’s armies, and have fought to protect and improve it ever since. We should be proud to share our achievements with our allies. Peace has come to us at a high price.”  
She looked directly at the camera. “Before, you were united by your false faith. Then, you were united in our struggled against the High Prophet of Truth. Now, we have no central goal to hold us together. So I wish to share with you my goal.” Her eyes flashed. “It is not just against the humans that you quarrel. I know of your past and present rifts and strife, and seek to help heal them. You are tired of war; I know. But our work is far from done, and these quarrels continue to impede it. Fight with those who oppose us, we must, but fight amongst ourselves, we cannot.”  
She braced herself for her next words. “I seek to wipe the last of the Flood plague from this galaxy, a feat I have yet to achieve. That is my goal. Such an act will require unity on all our parts. Unity we have so far failed to achieve.”  
Her voice was tough and scolding. She could see many an Unggoy or Sangheili bow their heads, some Kig-Yar even too. They knew their crime, though many continued to not be ashamed of it. She sought to solve that here and now.  
“Denizens of High Charity, I wish to show you why I am so distraught by our attitude towards the humans, and towards each other,” she continued. “It is not unity we show when we behave as such. It is supremacy, and it is a false attitude. No one species is greater or more worthy than the other, when you look upon them from far enough away. And no species is better than the other to the Flood. It consumes everything.”  
She lifted her hands, gesturing for the crowd to approach. “I need everyone to hold hands. I’m not joking. Hold hands, shoulders, whatever, I don’t care, just as long as everyone is connected back to me. If you are not, you will not see what I am about to show you.”  
She looked right at Isa and ‘Ayanam. Quietly, she told them, “This is going to take a lot of my energy. Be prepared to catch me if I fall, please.”  
‘Ayanam nodded firmly. “We will be ready.”  
She looked the other direction, towards Unity. He nodded respectfully and offered his hand. She could tell he was curious, and maybe a bit confused. But he knew better than to accuse her of bullshit. She took his hand, and he offered his other to the Minister to his left.  
Isa took her other hand, and ‘Ayanam took hers. The rest of the shipmasters and bodyguards mulled around for a moment, confused and possibly a bit embarrassed by having to hold hands. Blue chuckled to herself, seeing many of the shipmasters glancing awkwardly at each other and their guards. She swore one of ‘Ayanam’s Mgalekgolo chuckled at the scene too.  
The ring of Honor Guardsmen shifted, the guards becoming the physical connection between the platform and the crowd.  
Blue returned her gaze to the camera. “Come from your homes, your ships, your labs. Aethon will watch over us in our moment of introversion. Come out, and join with us.”  
The crowd was gathered close, a web of limbs connecting individuals. The Unggoy were eager to the point of fervor, anticipating the vision. She heard a Kig-Yar hiss angrily as a group of the smaller creatures pushed by him.  
The crowd began to stretch, into the halls leading to the courtyard, through doors and rooms. People were running to find their place, leaving their holotanks behind. Crews were leaving ships; Lekgolo piled onto transport platforms to move themselves around. Aethon flew up high, scanning the crowd and watching through thermal as more and more people approached.  
The seven Jiralhanae bunched together as they found the crowd, nervous to join it. One of Blue’s Kig-Yar looked up at them and offered his hand.  
Blue looked back to Tem and Yalar; the Minister was holding her child in one arm, her free hand holding Tem’s. Her aide, Shelat, was on her other side, touching her shoulder. And with the aide was the elderly Sangheili, holding Raion.   
Far beyond them, the Sangheili of Nes’alun reluctantly joined the crowd, in the center of a ring of guards. They grumbled angrily amongst themselves, but were moved into place either way. And nearby, Sesa ‘Refum and his crew, now one of the best construction groups on the station, joined the crowd too.  
“That is everyone, Blue,” Aethon told her after a few more minutes. “We are ready.”  
“My friends, keep hold,” the draconic warned. “Welcome to how I see the world.”  
She lifted her head, and let her sight and mind jump away. Her sight left her, and her mind’s eye filled her vision. Her energetic sense became everything. Everything changed, zooming out, blooming around her in ways indescribable. And with a surge of energy, she brought the station up to her. Their vision filled with the sight of energy, heat, and life. It flooded through the station until it had reached everyone. Every being, every point of life, a bright, glowing entity, shining like a star.  
She could still hear. She could hear people exclaiming, crying out in shock and awe and fear. But they never let go of each other, fascinated by what they saw.  
“Do you see us?” she asked. “Do you see all of us? How bright we are?”  
“Yes!” many of the crowd yelled.   
“Do you see why we must stand strong, together?” she asked. She pointed into space, where things were slightly different, a strange amalgamation of light and dark and life. “The Flood lives yet, in small, isolated refuges, awaiting its release. While it lives, no one is safe!”  
She could hear many of the Unggoy crying out in fear upon “seeing” the presence of the Flood. Blue took their attention, and returned it back to the life of the galaxy.  
“Is it not beautiful?” she asked quietly. “All of it?” She pointed at the bright spots in the darkness. “These are planets, full of life. We must protect them.”  
Silence fell over the station. They were enraptured.  
They were looking down upon High Charity, an oasis of light in a sea of dark. The dark stretched on for what seemed like lifetimes. But, life erupted as the rest of the galaxy swirled around them.  
Blue edged her way out of the trance, well enough that she could faintly see reality again. She turned her head to look at Isa, who was staring at the ceiling with wide, yellow eyes.  
“Isa,” she hissed. “Get your brother too. I’m going to fall.”  
The Sangheili shook her head like she was trying to get water out of her ears, snapping out of the trance. She tugged on ‘Ayanam’s hand, getting him to come back to reality as well.  
Blue ended the vision, and as she returned completely to reality, exhaustion washed over her. Her legs buckled, and she felt Isa grab her arm to try and keep her from falling. ‘Ayanam reached past his sister and put his hand behind Blue’s shoulder, supporting her.  
Isa ducked under Blue’s arm, letting the Ascendant lean on her. The Unggoy working the camera reached for the controls, looking to Blue to see if he should shut it off.  
She shook her head. “No, it is ok, keep it rolling.” she paused to catch her breath. The mass vision, though barely over a minute long, had drained her power so much her vision was wavy and dark on the edges.  
“Will you be alright?” Isa asked.  
Blue nodded. “I will need a few hours’ rest. But I will be fine.”  
Unity, on her left, had shaken off his trace and was looking across the crowd with a wondrous, new gaze. “We have been blessed!” he declared. “Never again will we be able to experience such transcendent vision! Denizens of High Charity, we have been blessed!”  
“You chose me,” Blue spoke up, voice quiet at first. “Many of your kin and comrades left this station long ago, to fight for different sides. But you are the ones who stayed. High Charity is your chosen place of life. And I have chosen to defend this place, and defend you. We are united by the grandeur of this ancient place. And I hope we are united by a little more, now that you have seen beyond.” She dropped her head tiredly. “This is your new purpose; your new unity. So please, before you go about taking harsh thoughts against those not like you, remember how alike you actually are. These people you stand will, they are the ones who will watch your back.”  
Fleetmaster ‘Tusam raised a fist. “For High Charity!”  
The Sangheili in the crowd responded, raising their own fists and echoing like thunder, “For High Charity!”  
“Unity!” Unity called, lifting his hand.  
“Unity!” the crowd responded.  
“Nobility!” ‘Tusam yelled.  
“Nobility!” the crowd yelled back. Blue lifted her own fist, hand shaking a bit.  
“Determination,” she said simply.  
“Determination!” the crowd replied.  
“Let these three words rule over us,” Unity declared. “We are the denizens of High Charity. Let us go forth with unity, nobility, and determination above all.” He pointed off, into the distance. “Wherever the stars will take us next, we will be ready.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	33. 2.30: One Act for the Win

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you mean you've never thought about an Unggoy theater director before?

2.30: One Act for the Win

“Come on folks, curtains be up in ten,” Sirsir bounded around backstage, clapping his hands. “Wesah got this! No more butterflies!”  
The energetic theater director swung under a railing and jumped up onto one of the prop chairs. “Rem, status!”  
“Theater is almost full, sir!” the lookout replied. He scratched his head nervously; from his high point up in a corner of the stage, he was able to see over the curtain through a small gap in the structure. There were a lot of people out there, including humans. Even though he had retired from combat duty as a sniper, the sight of his former enemies still made him nervous.  
Blue trundled out of one of the side doors, carrying a fainted Unggoy. “Nerves got him, Sirsir.”  
“Bucket him!” Sirsir ordered. Two more Unggoy ran by with a bucket of cold water, and threw it on their fainted comrade. He awoke, yelping from the cold.  
“Buck up, actor!” Sirsir ordered, pointing. “You gotta great act together. Now keep it together!”  
The Unggoy nodded nervously. “Y-yes sir!”  
Blue put the individual down, letting his friends help him away. “How are the mics?”  
“Working,” Sirsir replied. “Yanme’e fixed wiring problem. We good!”  
“Thank goodness,” the draconic muttered. “That was a headache and a half.”  
Sirsir put his finger to his earpiece, listening to one of the ushers outside. “Nono, Sangheili must sit in back of human seats. Sangheili too tall to sit in front. No, the bleachers are not vertical. They just look like that. Optical illusion! Sit in back!”  
Making the theater had not been the hardest part; all that was required was to clear out an abandoned tower, cut out a section of the front for the stage, install the stage, and move in the seating. They’d hollowed out their space, opened the front, and Phantoms brought in material for the stage, suspended thirty feet above the ground. Below the stage, they installed supports and floors all the way to the bottom, providing space for actors to move around in private. The seating itself was easy; High Charity was already equipped with numerous, mobile bleacher-like structures that could hold a metric butt ton of people. They’d floated three of them over to the theater, and secured them. Gravity lifts brought the crowd up to the theater floor, slightly lower than the stage. The floor could be outfitted with extra seating, if necessary, or could be used as a mosh pit. The latter use was very popular amongst the Unggoy.  
“The Councilor of Unity has arrived!” Rem called. From his vantage point, he could see Unity, floating on his gravity chair, surrounded by Honor Guardsmen. The section of seating he inhabited had been cleared out and converted into a series of private boxes, like in a traditional opera house. The other Ministers had single or shared boxes, depending on how much they complained about having to share. Because of their position, they got an excellent view of the stage. The boxes also had energy shields that projected across their fronts, protecting the San’Shyuum in case of attack.  
“Alright, people!” Sirsir declared. “We gotta show to do! You know how it goes.” he pointed at Blue. “First act ready?”  
She nodded. “They’re all downstairs, readying up. They wanted to do some meditation before going on stage.”  
Sirsir nodded appreciatively. “Good actors! Stage crew! Props ready for first act?”  
“Aye, sir!” a Kig-Yar, crouched on the top of the prop house, said. “You’re standing on one of the chairs.”  
Sirsir looked down at his feet. “Ah, good. I didn’t notice.”  
“Doors closing!” Rem called.   
Blue put her finger to her own earpiece. “Any security trouble at the gate?”  
“No, Ascendant,” the reply crackled in her ear. “No individuals were found attempting to smuggle in weapons or other combat gear.”  
“Make sure the guards keep an eye out, just in case,” Blue advised. “Theaters are distracting.”  
“We will protect those who are innocent of violence against any threat,” the guard promised. “By your word, Ascendant.”  
It had been decided, for safety reasons and to make everyone more comfortable, that the only individuals who could carry weapons and wear combat gear in the theater were the Honor Guardsmen and other security personnel. The Sangheili had put up a stink about it, leading a number of them to boycott the production, but by the end they’d accepted the rule. Quite a few had turned up, filling an entire back section of seating. They were behind the section squared off for the humans, which was filled.   
“Clear stage!” Sirsir yelled, causing the final few wanderers to flee to backstage. “Emcee, go!”  
“Yessir!” Blue replied. She tapped on her earpiece, patching it into the speakers suspended above the stage, and got into position to run onto the stage.  
Sirsir tapped his own earpiece. “Ladies and gentlemen, denizens of High Charity, we welcome you to the High Charity Theater’s opening show. Before we begin, I have for you a few safety announcements.”  
Sirsir’s speech, usually patchy, grammatically-incorrect English, was suddenly transformed, becoming bold and eloquent. He had memorized the entire introduction, working hard to pronounce those longer words and remember correct grammar. Blue grinned, hearing all that hard work paying off.  
“And now, I present to you our emcee of ceremonies, our very own, fantastic Ascendant, Blue!”  
That was her cue; she ran for the stage, coming out on the left side. She slowed to a walk once she got into view, waving at the crowd with a huge smile on her face.  
“Thank you! Thank you!” she called over the cheers of the crowd, Unggoy loudest. She waited for the clapping to die down before continuing, “We are so happy to have all of you here tonight. We’ve got a great show planned for you, folks, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it.” She paced a little as she spoke. “Our goal for tonight is to make all you feel something. It could be anything, happiness, sadness, joy, curiosity, humor, wonder, gratitude, anything. If we do not make you feel something tonight, then we have failed.” She paused. “I’m here tonight as your emcee, so I hope you like the sound of my voice.”  
She stopped pacing, pointing out to the crowd. “A special shout-out to the crew of the UNSC Infinity, who have taken a night out of their precious time to join us here. We’re so happy to have you, and we hope you can stay around for the banquet afterwards. I mean, you brought us ice cream. Speaking of such,” She looked seriously upon the hall’s non-human residents, “If you are not a human, do. Not. Eat. The. Ice. Cream. Unless you’d like to spend the hours after the banquet with intense stomach pain and gas, don’t eat the ice cream. And trust me,” she put her finger to her mic, pushing it closer to her mouth, “nobody wants you to have gas either.”  
That got some laughs, especially from the Unggoy, who loved a good fart joke. The human men seemed to appreciate it as well.  
“Anyways, I’m here to introduce you to our first act,” she continued. “But before we begin, I’d like to take a moment of silence, to remember the lives lost in a terrible war we so recently brought to a close.” Her words were solemn. “Remember, and be thankful we can gather here today, together, amongst friends.”  
The theater fell eerily silent, heads bowed. The draconic dipped her own, shutting her eyes.  
After the moment had passed, she lifted her head. “Thank you. And now, for the first act! It’s a musical number from a mixed troop, and trust me, we’ve worked hard on this one. It’s become one of our best acts, so the vote was pretty unanimous to put it first. Without further ado, I present to you High Charity’s opening show!”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The piano, now more organ-sounding, faded away in the background. The actors broke their lines to return to the seats they had been in when the curtain rose, restoring the cafe scene to the sleepy atmosphere it had begun with.  
The crowd burst into cheers. The actors didn’t acknowledge the noise, save for a few smiles, and all got up to move offstage. As they left, Blue returned to the center.  
“Pretty great, huh?” she asked. “Yeah...fun fact about me, I absolutely love theater. I love to sing, I love to dance. I wanted to be in every single one of these acts. But that’d be unfair to the rest of our talent here tonight. So, even though I asked nicely, I was declined.” She made a pouty face, receiving a few chuckles. “Anyways, we’ve got another great act coming up. This one’s a comedy skit by an all-Unggoy troop, a piece from one of their traditional folktales. Enjoy!”  
There were a lot of acts she was excited for. Well, she was excited for practically all of them. There was a lot of talent in these people, stuff that had almost been lost because of the war. Comedy and drama lived in the corner of every Unggoy’s mind, their gregarious and social nature making them natural actors and entertainers. The agility and speed of the Kig-Yar meant they were perfect for stunt rolls, and could pick up choreographed dances very quickly. And even the stiff-backed Sangheili had talent; no individual worth his name would be unable to sing his keep’s saga. Though they were horrible at acting, for the most part, because they couldn’t fake emotions, especially strong ones, very well.  
There was a Kig-Yar standup comedian, the Unggoy skit troops, and even a few mixed-species skits that would make any regular Joe think the Unggoy and Kig-Yar were best friends. But, in fact, those in the troops practically were by this point.  
The majority of the Kig-Yar had come from Blue’s flock, eager to please their matriarch. Those individuals tended to be more open-minded than the rest, reflecting Blue’s attitude. But to see, backstage, two Kig-Yar and three Unggoy seated in a circle, playing a dice-like game to relax, was still awe-inspiring.  
 _There is nothing quite like trying as putting together a show. You struggle, you argue, you fight, and some days it seems like the show will never come together. But you also come together with determination like no other. And, when the curtains are drawn, you are glorious. And you make friends that will last a lifetime. It doesn’t matter who you were before. The show must go on, so on you will go._  
The curtain was drawn on the final punch-line of the current skit, and Blue was signalled to run to stage. She turned her microphone on and jogged out into the last echoes of clapping.  
“Weren’t they great?” she asked. “All these stories they have are passed down by word of mouth. Trust me, translating them into English was a grammatical nightmare, but it was worth it.”  
She gestured behind her. “Our next act is another all-Unggoy troop, with a musical number. Outside of the theater, they are all members of various labor groups that have been working all over High Charity. Some of them even helped build this very theater by clearing out this tower behind me. The experiences they’ve had as laborers, and they way they use music to pass their time or synchronize their work, inspired them to put together this troop. They’ve done a fantastic job, especially since they’ve had to split their time between work and rehearsal. I really hope you enjoy them, folks. Without further ado, I present to you the Ministry of Sound!”  
She escorted herself off the stage quickly, the curtain rising on the backlit silhouettes of Unggoy, standing out on the stage and up the sides of a prop mountain. In their hands were various construction tools, some functional and others simply symbolic. The music struck up, and they lifted their hands. Stage crew Kig-Yar were scurrying all over the catwalks, working the lights. As the troop got moving, Blue climbed up one of the ladders to join the Kig-Yar.  
“The humans look so surprised that the Unggoy can actually dance,” Rem snorted from his lookout. “Their jaws are practically on their laps.”  
“Good,” the Ascendant replied, chuckling. “They’re feeling something.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The last act was another musical number, and so far, everything leading up to it had been fine. Fingers crossed, it would be as well.  
“You better do real-real well,” Sirsir warned the actors from backstage as the second-to-last act ended.   
“We got this, Sirsir!” they cheered.  
Sirsir crossed his arms and nodded firmly. “Blue, go now to introduce. We ready.”  
She made for the stage as the other act was cleared off. Someone in the way back of the Unggoy section whooped as she entered the stage.  
“Oh, why thank you,” she replied to the noise, acting surprised. “I hope you liked the last act more than me, though. They spent countless hours trying to get the best punch line they could, or at least something all of you would laugh at. That’s the hard part! You all have such different senses of humor, and,” she lowered her voice, cupping her hand around her mouth, “some of you don’t really have any sense of humor at all!”  
That drew a chuckle. She let that die down before continuing. “Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, and this is the final act. We’re ending on another musical number, but before we start, I would like to thank each and every one of you for attending this show tonight. Everything has gone so well; you should see backstage, they’re so excited! Talent, music, these arts are the sort of stuff that gets lost all too easily through the passage of time. We’re endlessly humbled that you chose to take the time out of your life to experience a bit of culture beyond your own. So, once again, thank you and please enjoy the final act.”  
She did a little bow, and vanished slowly from the feet up. Once completely invisible, she backpedaled to her starting position and waited for the crew to take the stage.  
The lighting changed, Kig-Yar in the catwalks flashing the “ready” signal to each other. Rem saw the signal and signed it down to the Unggoy working the music.  
The song started up, a strong, almost aggressive beat on drums, reminiscent of a marching tune. The lights went up on the stage, and the music hit hard.  
The crew was lined up, triangular, facing the crowd. Their lead, a female Kig-yar, was singing. She kept singing, and the rest of the crew started to move in choreographed unison. They moved, they stopped, they sagged towards the ground, knees and fists to the floor. They put hands to their hearts. They moved with the music. The lights across the stage made them look like ghosts. Their drama intensified; the lyrics became rhythmic. The Kig-Yar and crew moved together. Their drama intensified; the lyrics became rhythmic.  
But then, the music calmed, heavier noises disappearing. The Kig-Yar bowed her head.   
People began to appear from backstage, the rest of the actors and singers, slowly marching onto the stage, singing along. Blue blended in right with them.  
They gathered into groups, lines, filling up the entire stage. The music faded quickly to an end, and they stood tall, together.  
The crowd broke into wild cheers, heavily influenced by the Unggoy section, who were jumping up onto the backs of their seats, clapping their hands. The Kig-Yar set up a cacophony of approving hisses and chatters, bobbing their heads. The San’Shyuum, never one to miss a chance at a good, formal cheer, leaned over the edges of their boxes, shouting, “Bravo! Bravo!”  
The people on the stage, the entire cast of the show, smiles were slowly spreading across their faces. One of the Unggoy whooped wildly, bouncing from foot to foot and waving his hands. The rest of the stage broke into cheers, many of the actors hugging or boxing their friends, so full of excitement that the show had gone over well. Up on the catwalks, the Kig-Yar fired confetti streamers over the stage, spreading fluttering paper everywhere. The loud pops made a few of the humans jump, then quickly hide their reaction after seeing it was just a confetti cannon going off.  
Blue was having her legs stolen by no less than five Unggoy, all hugging her and preventing her from doing any real walking. Managing to keep her balance, she turned her mic on to close the ceremony.  
“Thank you! Thank you!” she called. “We’re so glad you came here tonight, and enjoyed what we had to offer! Please, help yourself to the banquet, if you have the time. The ushers are ready to escort you from the theater and direct you to the correct location.”  
The ushers and guards all received their prompts, changing positions to guide the crowd safely. They were going to unload the theater section by section, to prevent any jam-ups.  
 _That was well done.  
Thank you, Shipmaster._  
Her heart was warm, and she was smiling, head inclined. She felt, with the radiance of her emotion, a great peace settle around her. She lifted her head and called, “Unity!”  
“Unity!” the actors echoed, putting fists to the air. “Nobility!”  
“Determination!”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
She finally got the Unggoy off her waist, many of the actors retreating to backstage. They had a lot of cleanup to do, and Sirsir wanted it done before they went to the banquet.  
“Wonderful! Wonderful!” the enthusiastic theater director was bouncing around backstage, receiving the actors with open arms. “What a job! Meso proud!”  
The curtain was closed behind them, bringing quiet to backstage. The stage crew filtered out of the rafters, hopping down the ladders leading to the floor. Rem scuttled from his perch, one of the last down.  
Sirsir was up on a stool, directing the cleanup in his loud, chittering voice. “Storage, storage, organized! No messes here! We may need these props in da future!”  
“I need that stool you’re standing on,” one of the Kig-Yar called, leading a snort from the others. But it was a friendly jest, said with humor. Sirsir put his hands on his hips, wagging a finger at them.  
“Yee take meh stool and I’ll stand on yeh head, savvy?” he replied. “Sirsir’s gotta see over you tall lumps.”  
Blue hoisted a piece of furniture. Unggoy and Kig-Yar, working together, moved out the rest of the props. The theater’s only Sangheili, two actors and two stage crew, lifted heavier items onto small, levitating platforms easily pushed by smaller creatures. And they all were taking orders from an Unggoy, without complaint or question.  
She laced her fingers over her mouth, hands covering her smile. Nobody was close enough to see, but she was tearing up a bit.  
 _I...I have created this. I...I have created something beautiful. More beautiful than I ever would have imagined._  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	34. 2.31: Into the Howling Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last one, the end of part two. I hope you've enjoyed, if you made it this far. I know fics like this are not what most people are looking for. But if it made one person feel happy, that's all I need it to do.

2.31: Into the Howling Dark

“Where to now, Blue?”  
She sat down gratefully on the cushions in the alcove next to where the Councilor of Unity was floating, all the emotion and movement of the night having tired her, but in a way that just made her heart glow even more.  
“Sanghelios, as we discussed,” she told him. “Nothing makes me believe we should act otherwise. Lord Hood could not attend tonight. Business had him occupied.” She looked gravely at the listening San’Shyuum. “I had hoped to be able to speak to him. But I guess that will not be.” She shook her head tiredly. “I know the labs got the grain; I know they figured out what it was supposed to do, and I know they sent a team to investigate the ONI lab and confiscate their materials. But without being able to speak privately with Lord Hood, I cannot know for sure what has become of Parangosky and Kilo-Five.”  
“We must make sure the planet is safe,” Fleetmaster ‘Tusam vowed, clenching his fist. “We know not of what that nefarious woman may still have the power to do.”  
“She’s going to send her attack dogs after us,” the Ascendant said tiredly. “Kilo-Five. They’re doomed; with Parangosky bound for incrimination, the UNSC is going to be looking for all signs of wrongdoing. They’re going to find information on the team. They already suspect their existence - the cloaked ship above Sanghelios, its use of human weaponry, all they need is to find the last piece of the puzzle. They’re going to find it within the information Parangosky’s been hiding. And when that happens, there will be nothing to stop the team from going rogue.”  
“The Arbiter has not been allowing human ships to land or even enter orbit,” the Minister of Defense spoke up, his hologram flickering as he communicated from High Charity’s flight deck. “I know you cautioned him on reacting to the information of the bioweapon, but it seems that he has taken things into his own hands.”  
“It is not such a big issue,” Blue replied. “I just hope his sudden knowledge does not make Parangosky suspect us even more.”  
“You think she knows that you did all this?” Unity questioned. “That is a large accusation to make, with no evidence.”  
“The lack of evidence is what makes her suspect me,” Blue told him. “And all she needs is a loose excuse to send people after us. She’s not going to blame me publically; she knows nobody will support the notion. We are allies to the UNSC, valuable allies. And the human system of justice requires evidence to run.” She shook her head. “With her incriminated, Kilo-Five has nothing to lose by following her orders. They will already be wanted criminals.”  
The door across the room opened, and Shipmaster ‘Mahom stepped through, followed by ‘Ne’ahs and, to Blue’s surprise, ‘Ayanam. He caught her eye and said, “They asked for me to come.”  
The Ascendant nodded. “Of course. Your input is always valued, Shipmaster.”  
Behind ‘Ayanam, Isa came tumbling in, fingers swiping back and forth across her tablet, clearly seeking some important information.  
“I am sorry that we are late,” ‘Ne’ahs apologized. “It is very crowded in the banquet hall, and the Unggoy started standing on each other’s shoulders, making it very hard to see where we were going.”  
“We have just begun our discussion, it is of no worry,” ‘Tusam told them. “We are heading for Sanghelios, brothers, to assure that our home is safe.”  
“I’m going to scan the surface with Aethon to make sure none of the modified grain made it to ground,” Blue told them. “I’m worried Parangosky could’ve had some taken away at the last moment, before the UNSC confiscated the supply. The cloaked ship could have entered the atmosphere and scattered the seeds; that’s all it would have taken.” She grimaced, flexing her hands. “With Lord Hood out of contact, I have no idea the status of the station on Trevelyan. I do not know if they have approached Parangosky. I have no idea where Kilo-Five is.”  
“May she rot in her cell forever for committing such a crime against us!” ‘Ne’ahs vowed hotly. “Families, children she would have starve in their own homes!”  
“All she sees are hundred of planets, reduced to glass,” Unity reprimanded the shipmaster’s anger. “We had no mercy for the families and children of their kind either.”  
“We were lied to!” ‘Ne’ahs protested.  
“And two wrongs do not make a right,” the Ascendant spoke up, silencing the room “but we must remember the great rift between us. It may never truly heal.”  
“I fought against the humans,” ‘Ne’ahs told her solemnly. “But the Prophet’s betrayal cleared my clouded eyes. And you let us see into the heart and soul of the living! You cannot ask me to be reasonable with a genocide against my own people after I have seen how precious life is.”  
“We are not asking such,” Unity replied calmly. “We must face this obstacle with reason and humility, and not use it to foster more hate.”  
‘Ne’ahs bowed his head. “I understand, Unity. It is just hard to look across the rift with merely mortal eyes.”  
“You must give yourself more credit,” ‘Ayanam spoke up, talking to ‘Ne’ahs. “It is difficult, indeed, but we are all capable of understanding.”  
“You among us have known the power of the Ascendant from the very beginning,” ‘Ne’ahs conceded. “I will try to bring myself to faithfully believe your words, and then perhaps I will see clearer.”  
“We make for Sanghelios,” Blue repeated firmly, steering the conversation back to the issue at hand. “We will assure the planet’s safety, from outside and within.”  
Defense looked grave. “The Arbiter has been reporting rebel activity to me for the past few weeks. He believes the Servants are trying to reform under a new leader, though they have few aircraft to their name. He would like our presence over unsure territory as a show of force, and perhaps to wipe a few of the Servant strongholds from the surface.”  
“We have reasons to celebrate,” Unity spoke, “but the festivities must come to an end, for the war is not won yet. We may have shattered the Servants of the past, but more will come, under new names, until they are all quelled.”  
“Here’s all the transcripts of Defense’s conversations with the Arbiter,” Isa piped up and passed Blue her tablet.  
“This will take some time, but with a fleet of our strength we should be able to root out these few key strongholds within a week,” Blue predicted, scanning through the transcripts. “Our troops have backup shielders, and as we saw at Vadam, they allow us to hold against an army that outnumbers us. What we cannot crack from air, we will from the ground.”  
“Do you have any more prototypes to test?” ‘Tusam asked her.  
She shook her head sadly. “Unfortunately, not yet. But I don’t think we’ll need them.”  
“And what after?” ‘Ne’ahs questioned. “After we have assured the safety of Sanghelios, where will we go?”  
Blue looked up, eyes staring beyond. “We must seek our new purpose, our new unity. We must go to face life’s greatest enemy, and we must wipe it from this galaxy forever. The Flood cannot survive to possibly return again. It is as I promised.”  
‘Ne’ahs bowed his head. “By your word, Ascendant.”  
“We must begin the Flood Ops training programs swiftly, then,” ‘Tusam proclaimed.  
Blue nodded. “We must. It is time we end this reign of terror. Not just for us, but for all life. Nobody else is able to do what we can.”  
“We will prepare the station for this trip into the longest night,” Defense vowed. “Sanghelios will give us light, but we will be ready for the darkness when we must go to it.”  
The Ascendant bowed her head. “The everlasting loyalty of every one of you continues to humble me. Let us go, brothers and sisters, into this pungent darkness so we may emerge, together, into the light of the new dawn.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“It’s all gotten pretty crazy, has it not?” Isa asked.  
The two were sitting on one of the high, terraced gardens of the station, overlooking the lights of the holy city. A few dropships floated in the distance, hovering over construction sites. They suspended large pieces of framework beneath them, acting like cranes for the crews on the ground.  
“It has,” Blue agreed tiredly. She swung her feet idly, dangling over the edge of the balcony. “I have tried very hard to keep High Charity away from populated zones. Away from the conflict and the fighting; away from where enemies might find us. But as the aftershocks of the Schism continue to rock this galaxy, I find it harder and harder to stay out of sight.”  
“People need us,” Isa insisted. “People need our help, the supplies, advice, knowledge, and people we have.”  
“There are billions of people on this station,” the draconic said quietly. “We have so much to offer. But also so much to lose.”  
“I cannot say I envy your job,” Isa snorted. “You make the big decisions. I just write them down.”  
“You’ve helped me a lot,” Blue admitted. “Having a secretary takes a lot of work off me, and having the secretary be someone I trust means even more.”  
“Aw, thanks,” Isa replied, squeezing her mandibles together. She blinked. “Seriously. You changed my life for the better by letting me stay here. People...they actually treat me with respect now, because I am the personal assistant to the Ascendant. They do not look at me like I’m frail or weak or disabled. As long as I do my job well, that is all they care about.” She looked resolute. “My duty to you and this station is my top priority. I will never be able to truly repay you for what you have done for me, so I must always work at my best. On my honor.”  
“Do you think your brother has lightened up about you being here?” Blue asked curiously. “I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to him about it since...well, since you arrived and he yelled at you in the docks.”  
“Oh, I think he’s gotten better,” Isa replied, looking away. “He still looks annoyed every time he sees me, but he has not said anything to me. And he asked me how I was doing, the other day.” She flared her nostrils a bit. “I told him I had graduated to shooting at moving targets in the holo-ranges, and that I knocked my sparring partner on her butt with my staff the other day. I thought he would say something smartass of him, but do you know what he said?” she looked at Blue with large, yellow eyes.  
“What?” the draconic asked.  
“He said he was proud of me,” Isa whispered, eyes getting a little shiny.  
Blue couldn’t stop herself from smiling hugely. “That’s great! See, he’s coming around, getting over his protective-older-brother-isms. You just had to give it time.”  
“I guess so,” Isa murmured, looking down at her free-swinging feet. She paused for a bit. “I really care about him too. I keep thinking about how he goes out into the field, how he did during his time with the Covenant. I keep thinking about all the things that might happen to him.” She trailed off, voice fearful.  
“Yeah,” Blue muttered quietly, looking down as well. She felt a tight knot in her stomach.  
Isa looked up at her. “You care about him too, don’t you?” she asked quietly.  
The Ascendant smiled faintly, blue eyes glowing from deep within. “Yeah...yeah, I guess I do.”  
~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Part 3 is currently being prepped to go up. It will cover the events of Halo 4 from a very different perspective than this one.


End file.
